


The Fighter Still Remains

by mandeebobandee



Series: Hogwarts Havoc [6]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-11-01 08:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 41
Words: 42,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17864105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandeebobandee/pseuds/mandeebobandee
Summary: The stakes are ever rising for our gang....





	1. Chapter 1

Though Virgil slowly began to awaken, he kept his eyes scrunched as tightly closed as he could manage. He did not want to face what would greet him on the other side of his eyelids. Would he find himself back in Thompson Manor? Or maybe he was at the Princes' homestead. He marveled at the fact that he was still in his right mind, but how much longer would  _that_  last? Whether the Council placed the same enchantments his father did on him once more, or the Council decided it was not worth it and opted to exact their revenge instead, Virgil knew that he wasn't in for a good time.  
  
Why was it so quiet, though? One would think that the place would be bustling with activity, what with the so-called 'traitor' being back in their grasp.  
  
_"Do keep your eyes closed, Virgil, you're doing a wonderful job of denying the reality of the situation that you have found yourself in,"_  a familiar voice announced.  
  
Were Virgil able, he would have hissed Deceit's name with as much fury as he could muster. That said, he still managed a growl from deep within his throat.

Still, Virgil could not help but note that there was a conspicuous absence of other voices - of other noises, even - that would suggest that others were lurking nearby.  
  
_"I can see how eager you are to find out where you are,"_  Deceit said with a chuckle.  
  
In response to that, Virgil closed his eyes as tightly as he could, smirking.  
  
Deceit let out a huff of exasperation, and for all of the terror and frustration that Virgil was experiencing himself, he felt a stab of satisfaction at the sound.

Then Virgil opened his eyes, just to drive the final point home -  _yes_ , that final bit of defiance was specifically directed toward his dear brother.  
  
Were it simply a matter of getting on Deceit's nerves, Virgil would have kept his eyes shut indefinitely. But Virgil needed to know what was happening around him. He knew this was a precarious situation, and he needed to be alert to as many dangers around him as he could be.  
  
He reached for the watch on his wrist, only to discover that it was gone. His heart sank. Then again...Virgil had no idea how much time elapsed or even where he and Deceit were. Logan might have already worked out that something was amiss at this point. In which case the watch only alerted Logan to the fact that there  _was_  a danger, not who that danger was or where it was located.  
  
And Virgil suspected that he and Deceit were no longer in Diagon Alley. Deceit might not be at quite the level their father was, but Virgil didn't think Deceit was  _that_  stupid.

One of the first sights Virgil saw when he tried to gain his bearings was that of his brother dangling his watch in his hand.  _"Don't suppose you're looking for this?"_  
  
Virgil's first reaction was to reach out for it, but he resisted this initial impulse. He could already guess how that would go. Virgil would reach for it and Deceit would pull it away with a gloating laugh. He'd deny Deceit that satisfaction.  
  
Instead, Virgil glared back at Deceit.  
  
Deceit let out a sigh.  _"Why do you insist on looking at me like that? I only wish to talk with my dearest little brother that I haven't seen in ages. Didn't you miss me?"_  
  
_Kinda hard to miss someone who tried to kill me,_  Virgil thought to himself.  
  
_"You know, it's been less than a year and already so much has happened,"_  Deceit sighed, sounding almost wistful.

Virgil arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"I know you think I'm a filthy rotten liar, but I actually was not lying when I said that I wished to get some fresh air and talk,"_ Deceit assured him.  
  
Of course, he conveniently left out the part where he impersonated one of Virgil's friends to get Virgil to agree to such a thing in the first place. Gee, wonder  _why_  Virgil would get that idea?  
  
_"I would like to know what happened to our father,"_  Deceit narrowed his eyes.  
  
Virgil let out a snort.  
  
_"I would suggest you start talking or you might find yourself on the receiving end of a curse,"_  Deceit continued. Clearly he meant business - he wasn't even bothering with his usual sarcasm and word games anymore.  
  
Virgil reached into his pocket to pull out his pad once more.  
  
_"I said start talking!"_  Deceit hissed.  
  
Virgil pulled his hand back out of his pocket empty-handed.  
  
"He tried to kill me, so Logan killed him. Simple as that," Virgil informed Deceit.  
  
Deceit stared back.  _"What?"_  
  
"He tried to kill me, so Logan-" Virgil began once more.  
  
_"Stop! What are you doing?"_  Deceit growled out.  
  
"I'm talking, just like you told me to do," Virgil replied with a smile, knowing full well that his words were coming out unintelligible and that Deceit could not make heads or tails of what Virgil was trying to say. Deceit had, after all, demanded that he  _talk_ , and he was doing exactly as his brother requested, was he not?  
  
Hey, if he had to put up with this curse, he might as well have  _some_  fun with it. It also helped to distract him from the fact that it still felt as if his heart would burst from his chest at any moment from the speed at which it was pounding.

Deceit glowered, his gaze slowly drifting down to Virgil's pocket. The top part of his pad of paper was sticking out slightly, and Deceit muttered something under his breath.  
  
"What was that?" Virgil asked.  
  
Deceit glared back at him.  _"Just...take out the pad."_  
  
Virgil bit down on his lip to keep from laughing as he did what his brother suggested.  
  
_"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, are you ready to answer my questions in a way that I can comprehend?"_  Deceit folded his arms across his chest.  
  
Virgil shrugged.  
  
_"I mean, you can refuse to cooperate if you want, but I don't think it will go too well for you and your friends in the long run..."_ Deceit smiled.  
  
Oh, of course. They couldn't have a nice brotherly reunion without Deceit threatening his friends as least once, could they?  
  
_Let's get to it, then,_  Virgil wrote, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anyone else that might be lurking around. Just because he agreed to talk did not mean that was letting his guard down. He was merely biding his time until he could figure out what to do next.


	2. Chapter 2

Virgil held his pen and paper in hand as he kept a close eye on Deceit. In turn, Deceit appeared to be keeping a close eye on  _him_.  
  
 _"I'll ask you again - What happened with father?"_  Deceit began.  
  
 _He was killed,_  Virgil responded.  
  
 _"How, though?"_  Deceit glared.  _"Did you do it?"_  
  
Virgil shook his head. Deceit narrowed his eyes.  _"Who did it? Tell me."_  
  
 _So you can 'exact your revenge' on them? Fat chance,_  Virgil scribbled back with an eye roll.

 _"So it's someone you want to protect then, if not yourself,"_  Deceit sneered.  
  
Virgil shrugged, much to Deceit's annoyance.  _"That's not an answer."_  
  
 _Yes it is,_  Virgil replied.  
  
 _"If you aren't going to tell me who is responsible I guess I'll have to go through you and your friends one by one until I get my answers,"_  Deceit taunted.  
  
 _Can I ask you a question?_  Virgil wrote.  
  
Deceit arched an eyebrow at that.  _"What could you possibly have to ask me?"_  
  
 _Plenty of things. How was Azkaban for one thing?_  Virgil smirked.  
  
Deceit scowled.  _"You..."_  
  
 _That's not what I really want to ask you though,_  Virgil continued.  
  
 _"Get on with it then!"_  Deceit demanded.  
  
 _I would if you'd stop interrupting me!_  Virgil replied. He deliberately waited a moment to see if Deceit would interrupt him again, then continued.  _Why do you care about what happened to Linus?_  
  
Deceit gaped at him. Huh, he actually left Deceit speechless. That was a rarity.  _"What kind of question is that?"_  Deceit said at last.

 _I don't get why you care about what happened to him,_  Virgil scribbled.  _After all, he didn't seem to care what happened to you._  
  
 _"...excuse me?"_  Deceit glared.  _"Of course he cared. He did everything he could to keep me out of Azkaban, even helped me to escape the Ministry when they were holding me."_  
  
 _What about the second time you were captured?_  Virgil retorted.  
  
 _"He informed me that he would immediately set to work on a way to bust Phillip and I out of Azkaban,"_  Deceit asserted.  
  
 _Did he do that?_  Virgil wrote.  
  
 _"I have no way of knowing for certain, but I would assume that he did,"_  Deceit replied.  
  
Virgil let out a snort and shook his head.  
  
 _"What was that for?"_  Deceit snapped.  
  
 _If he did, I didn't see any of it happening,_  Virgil informed his brother.  
  
 _"And why would_  you  _know about what he was doing with his time? You were disowned,"_  Deceit sneered.  
  
 _You're even more out of the loop than I thought,_  Virgil jotted out. He couldn't help but feel that this would be a lot easier if he didn't have to write out everything, but there  _was_  an added bonus in seeing Deceit squirm every time that he waited for Virgil to write his response...  
  
 _"My apologies, I think the dementor in charge of delivering the Daily Prophet to us in our cells must have gone on strike,"_  Deceit drawled.  _"Care to fill me in on what I may have missed?"_  
  
 _He kidnapped me,_  Virgil admitted.  
  
Deceit rolled his eyes and yawned exaggeratedly with his hand over his mouth.  _"Oh dear, and you believe he conducted all of his work in front of you, the family disappointment?"_  
  
 _Well yeah, because I wasn't the family disappointment,_  Virgil hastily scribbled.   
  
 _"Since when are you not the family disappointment?"_  Deceit scoffed.  
  
 _Since you took over that mantle,_  Virgil replied.

Deceit snarled, brandishing his wand threateningly at Virgil.  _"How_  dare  _you...after all I have done for the cause..."_  
  
 _You did a lot for the cause,_  Virgil agreed.  _But you weren't much use to Linus in Azkaban._  
  
 _"He was proud of me, of everything that I did for the cause! He told me to bide my time, that I would not spend the full length of my sentence in Azkaban, that...what are you writing now?"_    
  
Virgil glanced up and turned the paper around so that Deceit could read it better.  _He replaced you._  
  
 _"Replaced me? Replaced me?! How in Merlin's name could he have possibly replaced me?"_  Deceit argued.  
  
Virgil let out a snort.  _He wanted a son who was actively willing and able to carry out his duties without question._  
  
 _"Yes, we've established that. He wanted me,"_  Deceit said with a note of pride.  
  
 _No, he wanted a son willing and able to carry out duties. You were willing but not able. I was able but not willing. He changed that,_  Virgil revealed.  
  
 _"...changed that?"_  Oh, Virgil definitely had Deceit's attention now - Virgil could tell from the way Deceit stared at him. There might be anger and confusion etched on his features, but Deceit was  _curious_ , and that meant that Virgil had him hooked.  
  
 _Memory modification,_  Virgil explained.  _And he did it with a lot more skill than you did last year._  
  
 _"Why would he modify your memory? Why...I don't get it,"_  Deceit frowned.  
  
Virgil pointed to the words 'he replaced you'. No need to write them out again when he'd already written them once.  
  
 _"He said he'd rescue me!"_  Deceit protested.  
  
 _We went to Borgin and Burkes. When Edgar asked about you, Linus talked about what a shame it was that you ended up in Azkaban, but he didn't think it was worth it to go after Azkaban. Too much of a risk to the cause._  
  
Deceit's eyes widened.  _"I don't...you're lying. You have to be lying! Stop lying!"_    
  
Virgil let out a forced chuckle at that.  _The whole reason we're having this conversation in the first place is that you impersonated my friend, and you're telling me to stop lying?_  
  
Deceit snarled.  _"Father would...father..."_  
  
 _Lionel, did you ever consider that Linus cared more about the cause than he did about his family? About you?_  Virgil wrote. He was almost tempted to cross it back out, out of fear of how Deceit might react, but then turned it so that Deceit could read.  
  
Deceit's face went dark upon reading it. Virgil saw his brother's grip tighten on his wand. Virgil wasn't sure if it was the casual use of Deceit's actual first name, or the way that Virgil so carelessly threw into question everything that Deceit stood for, but Virgil clearly hit a nerve.  
  
And as Deceit lifted his wand and shouted an incantation, Virgil found himself wondering if perhaps he'd gone too far.


	3. Chapter 3

_"No sign of them anywhere,"_  Era told Logan as she dashed up to them, panting.  
  
 _"They probably Apparated,"_  Patton said with a frown.  
  
The group set out to search the area for Virgil and the imposter posing as Elliott, but they had no luck locating the two. In light of this, Logan was inclined to concede that Patton's theory was correct, little though he wanted to.  
  
 _"We just got him back,"_  Patton murmured, sounding close to tears.  
  
 _"Who do you think it was?"_  Chelsea frowned.  
  
 _"Probably Deceit or Phillip. They're the ones who seem to love Polyjuice,"_  Roman grumbled.   
  
 _"That's rich after what you pulled last year,"_  Era said with a snort.  
  
 _"Hey, it worked didn't it?"_  Roman retorted.   
  
Logan tried to shut out their banter. He didn't care for jokes, he wanted to find Virgil. His eyes scanned the crowd. He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. He  _knew_  Virgil had his watch on. Why wasn't he notifying Logan? Was it possible that he was incapacitated in some way, thereby  _preventing_  him from contacting Logan?  
  
 _"We'll find him, Logan,"_  Paige placed her hand on his shoulder.  
  
Logan jerked his arm away.  _"Then we need to keep looking. Standing here talking isn't going to help us any,"_  he huffed and set off walking down the street, toward Gringotts.  
  
 _"We checked that way earlier,"_  Patton mentioned in a quiet voice.  
  
 _"Let him go,"_  Astrit said.  
  
Logan, in the meantime, walked briskly in the direction of Gringotts. His friends might have claimed to search everywhere, but Logan felt as if he could trust nothing other than his own eyes in this instance. If there was any chance of any clue as to Virgil's whereabouts being overlooked...he wouldn't be able to live with himself.  
  
 _"Whoa, what the hell?"_  a person nearby shouted.  
  
 _"Has he gone mad?"_  another person muttered.  
  
 _"Stand back, he's raving!"_  a mother said to her young child.  
  
Logan frowned, trying to push his way past. He didn't much enjoy the way that the passersby opted to talk about someone, but he had more important things to do than get involved.  
  
Or so he thought, until he saw just  _who_  these passersby were referring to.  
  
Virgil stood in the midst of the crowd, speaking incomprehensibly. Of  _course_  he was speaking incomprehensibly, though - that was the only way that he could speak at this point in time. Every once in a while he would try to come up to someone, but they would inevitably back away in fright. He had a wild look in his eyes and appeared to be panting for breath.  
  
Those who didn't know Virgil might assume that they were in danger, that Virgil might attack them, but Logan  _knew_  that look - Fear.   
  
Logan strode forward at once.  _"Virgil!"_  he called out.  
  
Virgil paused at once, glancing about.  
  
 _"Virgil!"_  Logan called out again, waving his hand.  
  
Despite Virgil glancing right at him, his gaze seemed to go  _through_  Logan.  
  
Clearly Logan would have to do a bit more. He continued forward, slowly placing his arms around Virgil's shoulder. As Logan expected, Virgil gave a sharp jolt at the contact, as if he hadn't been expecting it.  
  
More incomprehensible words tumbled forth from Virgil's mouth as a shudder went through him.  
  
 _"Its okay, Virgil, you're safe..."_  Logan murmured softly, running a hand gently through Virgil's hair. Virgil seemed to relax a little at this, and he clung tightly to Logan.  
  
He gently began to walk Virgil back toward his mother's flat. A few in the crowd still turned to look at the two strangely, but now that Virgil wasn't attracting undue attention to himself, they seemed largely inclined to continue on their way now that the 'show' was over.  
  
Logan tried to make sense of what just occurred. He was immediately reminded of Virgil's reaction to the Imperius Curse - had someone attempted this on Virgil, then dumped him off when he reacted in the way that he had?  
  
That didn't seem right, though. Virgil reacted  _violently_  to the Imperius Curse, often lashing out at himself and those around him when under its influence. This was different. Though Logan could not discern what Virgil was saying to those be approached, he almost seemed to be asking for help. He seemed more  _confused_  than anything else.  
  
Logan's eyes widened at once.

 _"Logan! Virgil!"_  Logan glanced up as he heard Roman's voice calling out to him. Virgil clung tighter to Logan, grimacing.  
  
 _"You found him!"_  Patton squealed.  _"Hey Vi...is he okay?"_    
  
 _"I believe that he was struck by a Confundus Charm,"_  Logan admitted.   
  
Patton's hand flew to his mouth at once as he let out a gasp.  _"Oh no, my poor kiddo!"_  
  
 _"He's nearly a month older...you know what, nevermind. Let's get him back to Ms. Nyx's house,"_ Logan told the other two.  
  
 _"Why back there? Shouldn't we try to figure out what's going on?"_  Roman blinked.  
  
 _"Yes, we should, but I feel that it would be conducive to Virgil's recovery for him to rest up in an area where he does not feel quite so overwhelmed. The effects of this spell are such that I'm not certain if he recognizes me, let alone the two of you,"_  Logan explained.  
  
 _"You don't think he recognizes you, as tightly as he's holding on to you?"_  Roman arched an eyebrow.  
  
 _"I think he recognizes that I am a loved one, whether a friend or a family member, but I'm not certain that he's able to discern my identity. I believe that his mind is too addled at the moment,"_ Logan confessed.  
  
Patton and Roman exchanged worried looks.  
  
 _"He will come out of this, right?"_  Patton questioned.  _"It's already scary enough what they did to him with the curse!"_  
  
 _"If my hunch is correct and this was indeed a Confundus Charm, the effects should indeed be temporary. The goal is to create an environment that is as comforting as it can be for Virgil under these circumstances, lest he panic once more,"_  Logan replied.  
  
The four headed back to Renilda's place, Logan helping a calmer yet still disoriented Virgil as they walked. As soon as they made it back to Renilda's place, Logan immediately led Virgil to his bedroom and helped him onto the bed.  
  
Hopefully a bit of rest would do him some good. In the meantime, he, Roman, and Patton needed to fill the others in on what was happening.


	4. Chapter 4

Virgil slowly cracked his eyes open, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar walls of his bedroom at Renilda's flat. He wasn't foolish enough to assume that what he experienced was all a dream, but it sure was a  _nice_  thought.  
  
He could hear voices on the other side of the door. The fact that he heard more than just Logan and Renilda on the other side alerted him to the fact that at the  _very_  least, he hadn't imagined or dreamt the part where everyone came over to catch up.  
  
As curious as he was, Virgil opted to stay in the comfort of his bed for a while longer. He had a lot on his mind, and he wasn't quite ready to walk out of his room and be greeted by several friends and his mother.  
  
This was also the reason why Virgil was tempted to throw his bedsheet back over his head and pretend he was asleep when he heard the door crack open and saw the light from outside the room shining in.  
  
Virgil heard the telltale sound of the door closing and heaved a sigh of relief...at least until he heard footsteps.  
  
It was only one set of footsteps though...he might be able to handle one person. Virgil lifted his head from his pillow and glanced curiously in the direction of his new visitor.  
  
 _"Virgil?"_  Logan greeted him. Virgil managed a nod accompanied by a salute.  
  
It was Logan's turn to let out a sigh of relief.  
  
 _"I'm glad to see that you are doing better now than you were before your nap,"_  Logan remarked.  
  
Virgil let out a short chuckle and scratched at the back of his neck. Realizing he wasn't wearing his jacket, Virgil's eyes swept the room. Thankfully, Virgil's hoodie was folded neatly on the nightstand beside his table, his pad and paper resting atop it.  
  
 _What happened?_  Virgil scribbled once he retrieved those two items.

Logan frowned upon reading those words.  _"I was hoping that you would be able to fill in some of the blanks, actually."_  
  
 _"I don't know how I got back here, or if I went anywhere at all,_  Virgil admitted.  
  
 _"Oh, you definitely went somewhere. There was an imposter posing as Elliott and you left with said imposter,"_  Logan scowled.  
  
That confirmed Virgil's earlier suspicions.  _It wasn't a dream then,_  he wrote in reply.  
  
Logan shook his head.  _"Why would you think that it was a dream?"_  
  
 _Woke up in my bed with no clue how I got back here. You do the math,_  Virgil snorted.  
  
 _"You...how do I explain this?"_  Logan pondered out loud.  _"I found you in Diagon Alley, but at that point you'd been missing for several hours. You were also in an addled mental state."_  
  
An involuntary shudder went through Virgil. An addled mental state. That explained the vague recollection of a hellish nightmare, followed by a faceless figure that rescued...  
  
Oh. That was  _Logan_  then.  
  
What happened directly before that, though, was a lot clearer - at least the part where he spoke with his brother.  _It was Deceit,_  Virgil revealed, underlining his words as if to emphasize them.

Logan inhaled deeply, as if attempting to calm himself.  _"I suspected as much. If not Deceit, then one of his...cohorts."_  
  
 _The Council?_  Virgil wrote.  
  
 _"The Council,"_  Logan confirmed.  
  
 _He was alone,_  Virgil explained.  
  
Logan blinked in surprise.  _"Alone? How do you mean?"_  
  
 _No one else was there,_  Virgil replied.  
  
 _"Well yes, that is typically what 'alone' means, but...why would he take you without anyone else present? That makes little sense. There is a much greater chance of your escape in that instance, as I presume happened,"_  Logan divulged.  
  
Virgil shook his head.  
  
 _"You did not escape?"_  Logan frowned.  
  
 _Not that I remember,_  Virgil scribbled in reply.  _He asked me questions then said a spell, but I didn't hear what the spell was._  
  
 _"The Confundus Charm, if your mental state was any indication. You were panicked and confused,"_ Logan deduced.  
  
 _How is that any different than my default mental state?_  Virgil wrote with a wry smile.  
  
 _"I don't...nevermind,"_  Logan sighed, seeming to realize in mid-sentence that Virgil was not looking for an  _actual_  answer to his question.  
  
Virgil thought back to his encounter with Deceit, trying to recall if there was anything of extreme importance that he should notify the others of.  
  
 _"Did he hurt you?"_  Logan asked suddenly, drawing Virgil from his reverie.  
  
"Hmmm?" Virgil asked. He might not be able to form intelligible words verbally, but he could at least make  _that_  noise - and for a brief moment, it almost felt like Virgil could carry on a normal conversation again.  
  
...okay, not really, but Virgil would take what little victories he could get.  
  
 _"Did he hurt you?"_  Logan's gaze was intense as his eyes surveyed Virgil.  
  
 _He Stunned me,_  Virgil recalled in writing.  _And threatened me when I questioned his devotion to Linus. But nothing other than those two spells._  
  
 _"Why didn't you use the watch? I saw that you had it on when you left with who we thought was Elliott!"_  Logan implored.  
  
 _Tried to. Deceit had it,_  Virgil explained, then glanced down at his bare wrist.  _Has it,_  Virgil amended.

 _"Of course he does,"_  Logan scowled, then took a deep breath.  
  
 _"At any rate, I'm glad that you've recovered. I was concerned for your well-being,"_  he admitted to Virgil.  
  
Virgil smiled - an actual smile this time - and reached for Logan's hand with his free hand, giving it a squeeze.   
  
 _"The others will be pleased to hear that you're doing better as well,"_  Logan continued.  
  
Virgil leaned his head agains Logan's shoulder, looking up at him with a lopsided grin.  _Can we wait a few minutes to tell them?_  he wrote.  _I want to sit like this with you for a few more minutes._  
  
Logan placed an arm around Virgil's shoulder and smiled back.  _"Yes, I do believe that can be arranged."_  
  
Virgil smiled and closed his eyes, choosing to savor this moment of safety, no matter how fleeting it was.


	5. Chapter 5

As much as Virgil wanted to stay in his bedroom with Logan for the next several hours, he knew that his friends were waiting. Thus, when Logan asked if he was ready to talk to the others, Virgil nodded. He wasn't, but he did not want to seem rude. His head still buzzed faintly from the effects of the Confundus Charm.  
  
Logan pulled open the door and he and Virgil made their way down the hall and back to the living room.  
  
Patton was the first to notice.  _"Virgil!"_  he shouted and waved.  
  
Soon,  _everyone_  directed their attention toward Virgil. A Virgil who was coming to realize just how  _not ready_  for all of this he actually was.  
  
He tried to laugh along at something that Shane said, something that  _sounded_  like a joke, but it was hard for Virgil to even focus on what he was saying in light of everything else that was happening around him. He  _tried_ , he really did...  
  
...but it was all too much. Virgil retreated back to his room, holding his head in his hands.   
  
Logan entered the room a moment or so later, frowning as he looked at Virgil.  
  
With a shaking hand, Virgil reached for his pen and pad and scribbled out the word  _sorry_.  
  
 _"You need not apologize for anything. I understand, as do they,"_  Logan replied.  
  
Virgil sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. They might 'understand', but that didn't make Virgil feel any better about not being able to handle something as simple as answering a few questions from his friends.  
  
 _"Don't,"_  Logan warned.  
  
Virgil arched an eyebrow in puzzlement.  
  
 _"I know that face. You're self-deprecating. Stop that. I'll tell the others that you still need time to recuperate, and that we will meet up again at a later time and/or date. How does that sound?"_ Logan proposed.  
  
Virgil chewed on his bottom lip. He didn't want to send his friends off when they were merely concerned for him, but...ugh he did  _not_  want to go through that overload again. Reluctantly, Virgil gave a nod in Logan's direction.  
  
Logan slipped out of the room for another few moments. Virgil could hear voices on the other side of the door. He could even identify a few of them. 

Virgil opted to pull his hood over his head rather than hear the potentially disappointed voices of his friends. Soon, the door to his bedroom opened once more and Logan stepped through the threshold. He wasn't the only one, however.  
  
 _"Hey V,"_  Renilda said with a smile.  
  
Virgil managed a lopsided smile in return.   
  
 _"Our friends will reconvene here at a later time to discuss recent events. They know the basic details of what happened and who is responsible, though they still have questions,"_  Logan explained.  
  
 _"As do I,"_  Renilda added. There was a certain gravity to her tone that caused Virgil to tense slightly.  
  
Renilda let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair.  _"I understand it was Lionel who abducted you,"_  Renilda began.  
  
Virgil nodded.  
  
 _"What I don't understand is why he went through the trouble of taking you only to return you,"_ Logan said, stroking his chin as he pondered.  
  
 _He wanted to know who killed Linus,_  Virgil wrote in reply.   
  
Logan paled at this, though he tried to play it off. He cleared his throat. _"I suppose that is understandable, given his relationship with your father."_  He smoothed out his tie.  
  
 _He doesn't know who did. I didn't tell him,_  Virgil hastily explained.   
  
 _"I still do not get why he released you,"_  Logan continued.  
  
 _I don't either,_  Virgil admitted.  
  
 _"You're certain that you did not see any accomplice? Phillip, perhaps?"_  Logan asked.  
  
Virgil shook his head.   
  
 _"And you recall everything that occurred while you were detained by him?"_  Logan questioned, eyeing Virgil more closely.  
  
Virgil's eyes widened as he realized what Logan was implying, and a small shudder went through him.  _You think he might have modified my memory?_  
  
Logan let out a sigh.  _"It is a possibility that we cannot rule out, unfortunately, given Deceit's history."_  
  
 _"Deceit?"_  Renilda chimed in after remaining silent for the past few moments.  
  
Virgil and Logan exchanged glances as they realized that Renilda only knew Deceit as  _Lionel_ , her oldest son, who'd always been closer to his father than to his mother...  
  
 _Lionel's nickname,_  Virgil scribbled by way of explanation.  
  
 _"Deceit...that's a name that suggests trouble,"_  Renilda gave a nervous sounding chuckle that sounded almost forced.  _"I assume you dubbed him by that name?"_  
  
Virgil shook his head, recalling that not only had he never informed his mother of Lionel's nickname, but he never told her of his  _own_ , or of his involvement with Deceit's band of cronies in Hogwarts known as The Dark Sides.

 _"He gave himself that nickname. I assume that it was a play on words - Li being short for Lionel, and from there he went with a word that means lie - Deceit,"_  Logan deduced. It was the same conclusion Virgil reached a few years before, though he never did ask his brother if that was actually his rationale behind the name.   
  
Renilda let out a heavy sigh, drawing Virgil's thoughts back to his bedroom. How could he even console her when he knew there was still a small part of her who wanted her eldest son to return back to them, that she'd initially set up the spare bedroom to be  _his_?  
  
 _"The fact that he would even want to be known by a name like that says a lot, doesn't it?"_  she said quietly. The fact that Lionel wore a title like  _Deceit_  around like a badge, that he took pride in how he could trick and manipulate others. It would be one thing if it was a name that others bestowed upon him, like Virgil's own nickname of Anxiety was, but with Deceit it was an entirely different ball game.  
  
It did say a lot, and Virgil found himself wondering if Deceit was such an adept liar  _because_  he took on Deceit as a nickname, or if it would have happened regardless.   
  
After all, Virgil knew all about self-fulfilling prophecies in both the figurative  _and_  literal sense.


	6. Chapter 6

Virgil felt considerably better after a night's rest. The remaining effects of the Confundus Charm were out of Virgil's system, and he thought he could handle having his friends over once more. They also had to act fast - The fact that they only had two days in which Elliott, Paige, and Shane could visit before they headed back to school meant that if they didn't speak  _then_ , they'd have to go back to exchanging letters and the like.  
  
And Virgil really wanted to talk to Elliott in person.  
  
In fact, one of the first things he did when the others turned up to Renilda's flat was pull Elliott aside at once. They looked at him in curiosity.  
  
 _Sorry,_  Virgil wrote at once.  
  
Elliott blinked.  _"For what?"_  Then, a few seconds later he seemed to comprehend what it was that Virgil was apologizing for.  _"If you're apologizing for confusing Deceit with me, don't worry about it. I assume he used Polyjuice so it's not like you would have been able to tell the difference. No hard feelings, Virge."_  Elliott extended their hand and Virgil shook it, a small smile on his face.  
  
The two rejoined the rest of the group, a few of their friends looking eagerly at Virgil as he entered the room - Chelsea and Roman being particularly notable examples of this. They weren't even  _trying_  to disguise their curiosity. It did make him feel somewhat put on the spot, but he tried not to focus on it too much. Overall, he was faring  _far_  better than he had the day before.  
  
 _"So what happened?"_  Roman blurted out before long.  
  
 _"How many of them were there?"_  Chelsea joined in soon afterward.  
  
 _"Jeez, are you trying to scare him off again?"_  Paige jested, though judging from the small grin she sent in Virgil's direction, she could see that Virgil was in a better mental state to deal with it than he'd been the day before.  
  
It was still a bit hard for him to answer two questions at once though, especially when he had to write out his answers.  
  
 _Deceit posed as Elliott,_  Virgil jotted as a reply.  
  
 _"We know that much,"_  Chelsea said with a snort.  _"How about giving us something we don't know? How many of them were there?"_  
  
 _"To be fair, Virgil was under the lingering effects of the Confundus Charm last night, and he does not know what I told you before you left,"_  Logan clarified.  
  
Chelsea at least managed to look a  _bit_  sheepish at that, and Virgil realized that he had yet to answer Chelsea's actual question.  
  
 _Just Deceit,_  Virgil wrote.  
  
It was Roman's turn to look surprised.  _"No Phillip?"_  Was it Virgil's imagination or did Roman look almost disappointed?  
  
 _"Jeez, you don't have to look so put off about that, Roman,"_  Era remarked with a snort. Clearly it wasn't Virgil's imagination, then.  
  
 _"It just surprises me, that's all. I figured Phillip and Deceit would have reunited with the Council and gone from there,"_  Roman countered.  
  
 _"How do we know that they didn't already reunite with the Council? I mean, just because Virgil only came in contact with Deceit doesn't mean that he hasn't already met up with the Council,"_  Patton pointed out.  
  
 _"Wouldn't the Council be looking for Virgil, though, if they think he betrayed them?"_  Shane reasoned.  
  
 _That_  was comforting for Virgil to hear. Thanks, Shane.  
  
Yet...it did bring up a good point.  _You think he hasn't found the Council yet?_  Virgil scribbled.  
  
 _"Seems like a possibility,"_  Astrit stated.  _"You'd think another Council member would have made their presence known if they were there."_  
  
 _"Or Deceit wanted to talk to Virgil without the Council knowing,"_ Era suggested.  
  
The others looked at her, and she blinked in surprise.  _"What? Why are you all looking at me like I suggested the moon is made of cheese? Is it all that crazy to think that Deceit has his own ulterior motives behind this?"_  
  
 _"He's been Linus' little lapdop up to this point,"_  Roman countered. Virgil had to admit that Roman brought up a good point.  
  
 _"Yes, but Linus is gone,"_  Astrit continued where his sister let off, clearly having made more sense of her line of thought than Roman and Virgil himself had.  
  
 _"What does Linus being gone have to do with anything?"_  Patton asked with a puzzled frown.  
  
 _"He'd been following Linus' orders and influence up to this point. Without Linus, he doesn't have anyone giving him direct orders,"_ Era explained.   
  
 _"So what, you think he's gone lone wolf?"_  Roman said in an incredulous tone.  
  
 _"Maybe. Why else would he have confronted Virgil on his own when he could have easily taken Virgil to the Council? Why would he have released him again once he received the answers that he sought?"_  Chelsea frowned.  
  
 _He didn't,_  Virgil wrote, then cleared his throat so that the others would look in his direction and read what he had to say.

 _"Didn't what, Virgil?"_  Elliott asked.  
  
 _Get the answers he wanted,_  Virgil elaborated.  
  
 _"He wanted to know what happened, right?"_  Astrit questioned.  
  
 _Yeah, but he doesn't know who killed Linus. I asked him why he still cared about Linus when Linus didn't care about him,_  Virgil quickly jotted down to show to the others.  
  
 _"...damn Virgil, that's savage. I love it,"_  Roman chuckled.  
  
Logan snapped his fingers at once.  _"That's it!"_  
  
 _"...what's it?"_  Chelsea titled her head slightly.  _"If you're going to say something like that, you better follow it up with an explanation."_  She folded her arms across her chest.  
  
Patton gasped, his hand flying to his mouth.  _"I get it!"_  
  
Logan glanced to Patton in bewilderment. It was clear that he hadn't expected  _Patton_  to be the one to come to the same conclusion that he had, and was still a bit skeptical judging by the look on his face.  _"What do you get?"_  
  
 _"Deceit's questioning where he stands now!"_  Patton smiled.  
  
 _"Exactly the conclusion I reached, Patton,"_  Logan replied.  
  
 _What do-_  Before Virgil could finish writing, however, Roman let out a scoff.  
  
 _"What does that have to do with anything?"_  Roman said, essentially voicing the same concern that Virgil was about to put to paper.  
  
 _"He let Virgil go because he dared to question everything he stood for,"_  Era grinned.   
  
...he'd just been grasping at straws. Was it really possible that his words could have had that sort of effect on his brother? And if so, what did that mean?


	7. Chapter 7

_Virgil sat in the corner of the Slytherin Common Room, occasionally dabbing at his eyes. He planned to try to pass it off as an allergic reaction if anyone tried to question him about it.  
  
Thankfully, everyone minded their own business. Virgil did spot one kid's reflection gazing toward him for a bit longer than the others had, but the next time Virgil glanced up from his reading the kid was gone.  
  
"What did I tell you, Anxiety?" Virgil jumped and nearly dropped the book that he was holding at the sound of his older brother's voice. Hastily making certain that no spare tears were making their way down his face, Virgil slowly turned to face his brother.  
  
"What did you tell me, Deceit?" Virgil replied back, honestly not certain which 'lesson' his older brother was referring to. Deceit had been showing him the ropes at Hogwarts, but Virgil kept having misgivings about the whole thing. The world of Hogwarts that Deceit wished to show him was not at all like the world of Hogwarts he'd fantasized about for years. The students weren't very nice, and thus far the only group that was even remotely accepting toward him was his brother's.  
  
"That you'd do best to stick with us. I'm just looking out for what's best for you," Deceit assured him. "I saw what happened earlier."  
  
Virgil's stomach lurched. Deceit saw his confrontation with the older Gryffindor boys?  
  
"I didn't even do anything," Virgil grumbled. "I was just coming down the hall and they got on my case."  
  
"Yeah, they're all like that. They won't accept you for who you are. I had to learn that the hard way, but...we can make it a little easier for you, like I said.  You already have a pre-built group of friends. I would suggest you take it, lest you want to spend every year of your seven years of Hogwarts alone and miserable," Deceit told him.  
  
Every year of his seven years at Hogwarts, like this? His brother could be a jerk, but...his brother was still extending him an olive branch, offering to help him out. He already saw what happened when tried to make friends on his own. He'd be doomed to seven years of misery at Hogwarts if he rejected his brother's offer. If he accepted it, on the other hand...  
  
He'd still be miserable, but it would be a manageable sort of miserable. He'd fit in somewhere, even if it was only by default. He wouldn't be the reject with absolutely no one on his side.  
  
"Okay, Li-" Virgil began, but his brother cut him off.  
  
"Deceit, remember? We go by nicknames," Deceit held his hand out for Virgil to shake.  
  
Ugh, Virgil didn't even like his nickname, but he supposed he would have to learn to deal with it. It was between dealing with the occasional nickname that he didn't like and being completely outcast, after all.  
  
"Okay Deceit," Virgil said at last, shaking his older brother's hand.  
  
"Good, Anxiety. You made the right choice," Deceit replied._  
  
Virgil cracked his eyes open, letting out a sigh of relief as he recognized that he was at Renilda's flat, not at Hogwarts, and that he was eighteen years old, not eleven.  
  
He could still recall the events of his dream all too well. He'd had many such conversation with Deceit over the years. It seemed as if any time he thought about stepping away from The Dark Sides, Deceit would be there with a reminder of why it was such a terrible idea.   
  
For the longest time, Virgil had himself convinced that his older brother was actually  _looking out_  for him in some bizarre, twisted way. Then he met Patton and everything changed.  
  
Deceit's hold on Virgil grew weaker, because Virgil slowly came to the realization that Deceit was wrong. He claimed that everyone would reject Virgil -  _everyone_  - but Patton didn't. Virgil tested him, keeping him at an arm's length, being rude to him and telling him to get away, and yet Patton kept working his way in. Patton insisted that Virgil needed someone, despite Virgil's protests to the contrary. He recognized that Virgil was lonely, despite Deceit's claims that Virgil had everything he needed with The Dark Sides.

This was one of many dreams that he'd had concerning his older brother as of late, and though he knew why, it didn't make the dreams any easier to deal with.  
  
Especially after Deceit kidnapped him and returned him to Diagon Alley in a less than ideal state.   
  
The fact remained that Deceit hadn't turned him over to the Council, though, and that was big.  _Huge_ , in fact. He knew that the Council could not actively go after him, but Deceit took him away from safety. He could have easily handed Virgil over without anyone knowing for certain where he was - hell, Virgil  _still_  didn't know where Deceit took him during their earlier reunion.   
  
Still...Virgil might have been returned to his friends and family, but he was returned in an addled state, showing that Deceit clearly still wanted to mess with him. So where did they stand?  _Clearly_  Deceit had no qualms about making Virgil suffer, but he  _was_  safe - far safer than he would be with the Council, who regarded him as a traitor.  
  
Virgil groaned, laying his head back on his pillow and trying to make sense of it all. He glanced over at Logan, who was still sleeping soundly, and let out out a sigh and tried to get back to sleep himself.  
  
If only he could guarantee that going back to sleep would bring him peace...

He was in good company, however. Just down the road, at a room at the Leaky Cauldron, one of his friends lay awake for a similar reason. Alas, while knowing of each other's predicaments might serve to reassure them that neither of them were alone in their agitation, they were both left to suffer in silence, to hope only for the mercy of a dreamless sleep where their nightmares would not plague them any longer.  
  
After all, it was hard to escape one's nightmares when many of them were  _memories_...


	8. Chapter 8

If anyone is interested, I made a side blog/tumblr for this series <https://hogwartshavocsidesau.tumblr.com/>

I'll likely use it to post commissions I've requested/fanart and such that I've received, as well as little blurbs and headcanon/bios/what have you that I might want to share with you guys but not want to include in the middle of chapter fics. XD It's something I've thought about for a while but finally got around to doing!


	9. Chapter 9

_"Hey babes! Long time no see!"_  
  
Virgil jerked awake at the sound of a familiar voice, one that he hadn't heard since New Years in his sixth year.  
  
Next to him, he heard Logan groan.  
  
 _"I'm thrilled to see you guys taking time for beauty sleep - Merlin knows you need it - but now is NOT the time!"_  the voice taunted.  
  
Virgil sighed and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His cousin Remy stood at the door with his hand on one hip and a Starbucks cup in the other hand. His foot was tapping on the ground, making it seem like he'd been waiting an hour rather than than the few minutes he'd likely been standing there.  
  
 _"Yikes! You look like a raccoon made a nest in your hair, sleeping beauty!"_  Remy observed, making a face at Virgil as soon as he spotted his younger cousin peering in his direction.  
  
In response, he earned a low hiss and a pillow thrown his way.

 _"What, no clever retort?"_  Remy arched a brow.  
  
 _"His speech is cursed,"_  Logan explained.  
  
Remy snapped his fingers.  _"Oh yeah, that's right!"_    
  
Virgil reached over for his pad, which was at his bedside.  _What are you doing here?_  Virgil scribbled then showed to Remy.  
  
Remy let out a gasp and held his hand to his chest as if Virgil insulted his mother (which Virgil wouldn't do - he liked Aunt Helena).  _"Unbelievable. Unbelievable! Is that any way to talk to your favorite cousin?"_  
  
Logan let out a snort at that.  _"Need I remind you that you are his only cousin he maintains contact with at this point?"_  
  
 _"Still makes me his favorite cousin!"_  Remy retorted.  
  
 _"You still haven't explained why you're here,"_  Logan reminded him.  
  
 _"Ah yes...I'm moving in with you guys! We're gonna have so much fun together!"_  Remy grinned.  
  
Logan's eyes widened in unmistakable horror. Virgil, on the other hand, arched a brow with a skeptical expression.

 _"Nah, just kidding. The 'rents wanted to pay Aunt Renilda a visit and I tagged along cause I wanted to see my little baby cousin!"_ Remy mimed pinching Virgil's cheeks.  
  
Virgil sent another hiss his way.  
  
This time, Remy hissed back.  
  
 _"I'm surrounded by cat men,"_  Logan said with a roll of his eyes, but the slightest hint of a smile.

 _"Me-ow,"_  Remy said in a flirtatious tone, pawing at the air and letting out his best imitation of a purr before winking and making his way back into the main room, where Virgil heard other voices. He could make out Aunt Helena and Uncle Rembrandt, in addition to his mother of course.  
  
 _"Suppose that's our cue to get dressed,"_  observed Logan, who looked as though he wanted nothing more than to curl up under the covers and get another couple of hours of sleep.

 _You don't have to,_  Virgil wrote and showed to Logan.  
  
 _"Of course I do,"_  Logan countered.  
  
 _My family, not yours,_  Virgil persisted.  
  
Logan let out a chuckle.  _"And they'll undoubtedly ask about me, as I've met them before and they are familiar with our relationship. It will be far less awkward for you if I accompany you."_  
  
Virgil shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself', and pulled his jacket on. Because he  _was_  seeing family, he put a little more effort into his hair than usual. He still kept his bangs in his face, but he made sure that the rest of his hair was in place.   
  
 _"Your hair is fine, Virgil,"_  Logan informed him.  
  
Virgil glanced at him in confusion.  
  
 _"You've been brushing it for four minutes. You know my nervous mechanisms and don't think that I know yours in return?"_  Logan arched a brow with a satisfied smirk.  
  
 _How do you even keep track of them all?_  Virgil retorted before closing his pad and slipping it into his pocket along with his pen. The curse was actually a blessing in this instance- he didn't have the added worry of tripping over his words in front of his family.  
  
Why was he so worried anyway? Aunt Helena and Uncle Rembrandt were  _fine_. Even Remy was just annoying; he didn't have any truly malicious intent behind his taunts and teases, he just liked getting a rise out of Virgil, and in Remy's defense it wasn't exactly  _difficult_  to do so  
  
Virgil ultimately realized that he was nervous as to how his extended family would see him after everything he'd been through with Linus and the Council. He'd been through a lot during their last meeting as well, but that paled in comparison to what happened more recently. In addition, how would they respond to the curse itself? Even he and his friends had to navigate how to best address that issue, and those were his  _friends_ , who he saw more often than his extended family.  
  
 _"You ready?"_  Logan glanced back at him, clearly seeing that Virgil was hesitant and would probably linger in this room ruminating for hours were no one to intervene.  
  
Virgil glanced up and forced himself to nod. He wasn't, but he never  _would_  be, so there was no use putting off the inevitable for any longer.  
  
He felt ridiculous for even allowing himself to get this worked up over something so silly as  _seeing family_ , but he couldn't help it.  
  
Virgil took a deep breath as he and Logan made their way into the main room of the house. There was no turning back now.


	10. Chapter 10

_"Virgil! Logan! What took you so long?"_  Uncle Rembrandt greeted him at once.  
  
Virgil realized that even if he  _weren't_  cursed, he would still be rendered speechless by his uncle's sudden greeeting.

 _"Apologies, your son woke us from our slumber and we had to change from our pajamas to our day clothes,"_  Logan explained.   
  
 _"Virgil, you look all grown up!"_  Aunt Helena smiled.  
  
 _"Well, he is eighteen,"_  Renilda noted.  
  
 _"An adult in both the wizarding world and in the Muggle world! I swear it was just yesterday that you were in your diapers and Remy was toddling around!"_  Aunt Helena reminisced.   
  
Virgil shuffled awkwardly where he stood. Stealing a glance at Remy, he was relieved to see that Remy looked somewhat embarrassed as well.  
  
 _"Anyway, I suppose we should get right to the point! You want to do the honors or shall I, Reni?"_  Uncle Rembrandt asked with a mischievous grin.  
  
Virgil blinked in confusion, glancing from his uncle to his mother. It was his mother's turn to look uncomfortable, and that made Virgil apprehensive over what he was about to hear.  
  
 _"Oh for the love of...Rembrandt Nyx, behave yourself,"_  Renilda scolded, then turned to Virgil and Logan.  _"They just wondered if we might want to visit their house for an Easter dinner."_  
  
That was it? Uncle Rembrandt made it sound as if something dramatic was about to happen, and they were just being invited for dinner?  
  
 _"Is it really getting that close to the holiday?"_  Logan wondered out loud.  _"If we were in school, NEWTs would be just around the corner..."_  Logan murmured with a wistful sigh.

 _"Jeez, you don't have to sound so excited about it!"_  Remy blurted out.  
  
 _You're just saying that cause you failed half your NEWTs,_  Virgil jotted out for Remy's reading pleasure, sending a smirk his way.  
  
Remy huffed.  _"I had better things to do, and I didn't need those courses for my career anyway."_  
  
 _"Are you still at the Ministry?"_  Renilda asked.   
  
 _"Sure am!"_  Remy replied.  
  
 _"And you failed half of your NEWTs?"_  Logan gaped.  
  
 _"Yup,"_  Remy piped back.  _"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to join NASA, Logan."_  
  
 _"But...I..."_  Logan spluttered.  
  
 _"Whoops, looks like Logan.exe stopped working!"_  Remy smirked.

 _"What?! I'm just saying!"_  Remy held up his hands in a defensive pose, but he was still grinning.  
  
 _"He does have a point, though,"_  Uncle Rembrandt admitted.  _"Not that grades aren't important, but not everyone at the Ministry is a high ranking official that received straight Os at Hogwarts."_  
  
 _"Some never received straight Os in their life! Every O I've ever received is 100% out and proud,"_  Remy asserted.  
  
 _"Out and...what?"_  Uncle Rembrandt blinked in confusion, while Virgil burst into laughter. Even Logan couldn't help but let loose a few chuckles at that.  
  
Remy grinned, clearly proud of himself.  _"The set up for that was too great. I_  had  _to do it."_

Virgil had to hand it to Remy - He knew how to lighten the atmosphere just as well as he knew how to push people's buttons. Who knew? _  
  
 _"Do you know what you want to do after Hogwarts, you two?"__ Aunt Helena smiled, taking all of that progress made by Remy and smashing it into tiny bits with a hammer. Virgil immediately looked to Logan with wide, pleading eyes. _  
_  
Logan, thankfully, correctly interpreted Virgil's non-verbal plea for help and immediately set to work answering Aunt Helena's question himself. __"My primary interests are in the fields of Potions and Astronomy. I long considered a career in the Astronomy field, but after much thought on the matter I believe I will pursue a career in Potions and continue to enjoy Astronomy as a hobby. There is much greater opportunity for employment in the Potions field."_  
  
 _"Well reasoned,"_  _Aunt Helena said with a smile. _  
  
 _"You should follow your dreams though!"_  _Uncle Rembrandt protested.  _  
  
 _"My dream is to be successful,"__  Logan countered in an even tone. _  
  
 _"You just said you liked Astronomy, but you're not going for it as a career,"_  _Uncle Rembrandt pointed out. __"Therefore you're settling for something less than your greatest dream! You should go for what you enjoy the most!"_  
  
 _"That doesn't always work, though, Mr. Nyx. As lovely as it would be pursuing my dream job and only my dream job, I also have to consider the cost of living and my job prospects. If I pursue Astronomy and there are no jobs available in the Astronomy field, I am back to square one. Following one's dreams is nice, but they have to be able to survive. As I said, I do plan to continue Astronomy as a hobby, I just do not think that it is conducive to me as a career option at this point in time,"__  Logan reasoned.

Aunt Helena nodded, apparently pleased with this answer. She then turned to Virgil, who immediately tensed upon realizing the attention was back on him _. _"What about you, Virgil?"_  
  
"Uh..." _Virgil was so put on the spot that he didn't even stop _to_ consider that the curse would render any verbal response after 'uh' unintelligible. _  
_  
Not that he could get his mind to cooperate to even get him that far. His eyes widened as he realized that he was at a complete loss for what to say - and Uncle Rembrandt and Aunt Helena were still waiting.  
 _  
 _"...Dark Arts, correct Virgil?"_  _Virgil caught the tail end of what Logan was saying and blinked back in confusion as he realized that Logan was staring at him expectantly. Why was Logan talking about the Dark Arts?  _  
  
 _"You mentioned that you were considering a career in Defense Against the Dark Arts I believe?"__  Logan asked in what Virgil could only assume was a repeat of what he said before.

Virgil appreciated what Logan was doing. Not only was he giving Virgil something to work with and build off of, but he was checking with Virgil  _first_ , not directly answering for him. Realizing he still had yet to provide an answer to his family, Virgil nodded.  
  
Uncle Rembrandt immediately launched into a long-winded explanation of various positions within the Department of Law Enforcement at the Ministry. Virgil appreciated this effort, though he wasn't so sure that he wanted to work for the Ministry.  
  
Virgil cast a grateful glance in Logan's direction, and Logan smiled back. Crisis averted.


	11. Chapter 11

Virgil and Logan met with Roman and Patton at their room at the Leaky Cauldron a couple of days later. Era and Astrit were visiting family, and Chelsea tagged along with her girlfriend and her girlfriend's younger brother. Ellliott, Paige, and Shane were back at Hogwarts, which meant that it was only the four of them.  
  
_"Oh darn, we missed Remy and your aunt and uncle again? I wanted to meet them!"_  Patton pouted once Virgil and Logan finished explaining what happened during the impromptu family reunion.  
  
_"You still don't know what you want to do after Hogwarts?"_ Roman chimed in.  
  
Why did Patton and Roman have to focus on the two parts that made Virgil the most uncomfortable?  
  
Nevertheless, it was easier to tell Roman and Patton that he didn't know what he wanted to do after Hogwarts than it was to tell his eager  _aunt and uncle_  about it.   
  
_"I wanna be a Healer, but, like, a special kind of Healer!"_  Patton blurted out.  
  
_"A special kind of healer? Like one who specializes in poisons or creature induced injuries?"_  Logan questioned.  
  
_"Sorta but not quite. I was thinking of specializing in creature injuries!"_  Patton replied.  
  
_"That's what I just said, creature induced injuries,"_  Logan pointed out.  
  
_"You said creature induced injuries. I meant injuries to the creatures themselves! Like a wizarding vet!"_  Patton smiled.  
  
Logan blinked in surprise.  _"Oh. I...I suppose there would be a need for that, wouldn't there?"_  
  
_"I'm sure our dear brainiac over there is going to discover all sorts of new planets as our generation's leading Astronomer,"_ Roman teased, indicating Logan.  
  
Logan sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose.  _"As I explained to Virgil's aunt and uncle, I have decided to pursue Potions for my career instead. That being said, I intend for that to only be my day job, which will leave me plenty of time during the night to scour the sky."_  
  
_"Wow Lo, you really have this planned out don't you?"_  Patton said with slight awe in his tone.  
  
Logan shrugged.  _"It took me a while to get everything in line, but I feel that it is the best course for me to follow."_  
  
Virgil frowned as he listened in, not having much to offer forth himself. Logan had everything planned to a tee, and Virgil still didn't know what he wanted to do other than a vague 'something with Defense Against the Dark Arts' - and something where he did not have to deal with large crowds of people at one time, if he could help it.  
  
_"I suppose you're wondering what I plan to do with my life,"_ Roman began, and Virgil let out a sigh.  

 _"I have to admit that I'm in much the same boat as Virgil,"_ Roman admitted.  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise. He knew that Roman hadn't settled on a career choice the year before, but he still hadn't?  
  
_I'm thinking something DADA related,_  Virgil confessed in writing.  
  
_"You two could be Aurors!"_  Patton gasped.  
  
_Not taking the right classes for it,_  Virgil pointed out.  
  
_"Nor am I,"_  Roman said with a sigh.  
  
_I kinda wanna teach,_  Virgil jotted out.  
  
_"...you do realize that teaching involves speaking in front of a large group day after day, right? You certainly have the grades for it but..."_  Roman eyed Virgil with an arch of his eyebrow.  
  
_Not that kind of teaching,_  Virgil admitted. No, he didn't think he'd cut it as a professor, but...  
  
Logan's eyes went wide.  _"Tutoring. You could be a professional tutor!"_  
  
_It's something I'd consider,_  Virgil replied. He didn't wanted to say for  _certain_  that he wanted to be a tutor, but he much preferred the idea of teaching students one on one the way he had with Astrit to the thought of having to do so in front of many more.

 _"What about a job at the Ministry?"_  Roman asked.  
  
Virgil shrugged. He wasn't necessarily  _against_  a job at the Ministry, but it wasn't his first choice either.  
  
_"Eh, I don't blame you. I wouldn't want a desk job either,"_  Roman replied.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. Of course Roman wouldn't want a desk job. He could barely sit still in class.   
  
_"We should all get a job somewhere together!"_  Patton chirped.  
  
As unrealistic as it sounded, Virgil had to admit that he enjoyed the idea of going to work with at least one of his friends. Having a familiar face around would help to ease some of the tension of going to a new place and meeting new people and...  
  
Virgil could feel his thoughts begin to spiral and silently went through his breathing exercises to try to calm himself before the situation evolved to something outside of his control.  
  
_"So, does anyone have any special plans for Easter?"_  Patton piped up.  
  
Virgil was grateful for the change of subject. By the time he and Logan left, Virgil decided that he would take a closer look at his prospects for becoming a private tutor. No use getting his hopes up too high.  
  
Virgil and Logan walked up to Renilda's flat, knocking on the door. They were greeted by a harried looking Renilda.  
  
_"Oh good, you're here. I thought about sending an owl but I figured you'd be coming back soon. Come quick, I have something to show you!"_  
  
Virgil's eyes widened. He and Logan exchanged worried glances, wondering what would await them inside.

Virgil grew more and more tense as he, Logan, and Renilda approached the living room. Professor Picani was tending to an unconscious figure on the couch.  
  
Logan started forward at once, then paused, his eyes suddenly opening as wide as could be as he presumably caught sight of just who was lying on the couch.  _"What?"_  
  
Virgil followed Logan's gaze once Professor Picani stepped aside, and thus got his first unobscured view of who lay on the couch.  
  
His heart skipped a beat, and his hand slipped into his pocket.  
  
What was  _Deceit_  doing here?


	12. Chapter 12

"What is he doing here?" Virgil blurted out before he could stop himself.  
  
 _"Er, Gesundheit?"_  Emile retorted.  
  
Virgil recognized that the curse was preventing Emile from interpreting exactly what it was that he was saying, but shouldn't it be obvious in context? Virgil pointed at Deceit, then gestured wildly around him.  
  
 _"Oh...you're wondering what happened?"_  Professor Picani guessed.  
  
Virgil nodded, keeping a close eye on Deceit as he checked to make certain that his wand was at an arm's reach at any moment.  
  
Logan, he saw, was doing similarly. Professor Picani already had his wand drawn. Renilda had hers at her side, and Virgil could understand all too well why she looked so frazzled.  
  
If possible, Virgil's eyes went even wider as he began to consider the possibilities. Had Deceit attacked Renilda and/or Professor Picani? With a frantic gaze, Virgil searched both his mother and Professor Picani for any sign of injury.  
  
 _"He's not going to attack,"_  Renilda said quietly.   
  
 _"What makes you say that?"_  Logan protested.  
  
 _"Two things,"_  Professor Picani began.  _"One, he has no wand on his person at this point in time."_ Profrssor Picani indicated the wand he held in his hand, and Virgil realized with a jolt that Professor Picani was not holding  _his_  wand, but rather Deceit's wand.

 _"Two, he's out cold,"_  Professor Picani gestured to the supine form of Deceit on the couch.  
  
 _"Well that's convenient,"_  Logan remarked.  _"I assume there is a story behind this, as people rarely Apparate onto others' couches to take a nap."_  
  
 _Have you met Remy?_  Virgil wrote with a grin.  
  
 _"...Remy is a special case in just about every way imaginable,"_  Logan replied.  
  
 _"You're right, though,"_  Professor Picani said to Logan.  _"Renilda, do you want to do the honors of explaining?"_  
  
The way that Professor Picani looked at his mother was almost  _mischievous_ , and he could not fathom why. He grew even more confused when he saw his mother with a sheepish look on her own features.  
  
 _"I may have something to do with why he's unconscious,"_  Renilda admitted.  
  
 _"How did he turn up here?"_  Logan inquired.  
  
 _"He...I'm not sure. I'm not even sure how he got in the first time. All of the doors and windows are locked most of the time,"_  Renilda frowned, looking perplexed.  _"But then I turned the corner and there he was, standing in the middle of the living room!"_    
  
 _"I heard a yelp, followed by a stunning spell and a loud thud. I drew my own conclusions, as I'm sure you can,"_  Professor Picani chuckled.  
  
 _"Well, I hope you take this as a lesson learned, Emile Picani - never sneak up on me, lest you regret it!"_  Renilda warned, but there was a twinkle in her eye that gave away that she was jesting.  
  
 _He shifted into a snake,_  Virgil jotted down, then cleared his throat so that Logan, Renilda, and Professor Picani would look his way.

 _"Ah yes, that would give him a considerable advantage,"_  Logan mused.  
  
 _"Lionel is an Animagus?"_  Professor Picani asked. The other three nodded.  _"We need to keep a close eye on him then. He may shift back and slip away, and it's a lot easier for a snake to hide than it is for a human."_  
  
As if on cue, the four of them turned back to look at Deceit on the couch, as if to ascertain that he hadn't slipped away already.  
  
 _"To be fair, though, we don't know why he's here,"_  Professor Picani pointed out.  
  
 _"That's true..."_  Renilda peered at her eldest son with a conflicted expression.   
  
 _He came to attack us and almost got away with it!_  Virgil asserted, wishing he could  _say_  it instead of write it.  
  
 _"I admit, it does not look good for Deceit, especially when taking his past into consideration,"_ Logan chimed in.  
  
 _"Why wouldn't he have attacked sooner if that was the case, then?"_  Professor Picani frowned.  _"Renilda was here on her own before I arrived."_  
  
That...was a good point, Virgil had to begrudgingly admit. Deceit would have had ample opportunity to attack Renilda in the time between Virgil and Logan setting out for the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with Roman and Patton and Professor Picani's arrival to the flat. It made no sense to reveal himself when Renilda  _wasn't_  alone.

 _"What do you think, Ms. Nyx? I presume that you assessed he was a threat, judging from your reaction to his appearance,"_  Logan turned to Renilda.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. He didn't trust Deceit either, but if he were in Renilda's shoes it wouldn't matter either way. He would react in self-defense first, then he would ask questions later.  
  
 _"To be honest, I just saw a man standing in my living room that wasn't there before and I reacted accordingly. It wasn't until he hit the ground that I realized who it was,"_  Renilda admitted.  
  
 _"Would your course of action have changed even if you did recognize him beforehand?"_  Logan arched a brow.  
  
Renilda chewed on her lips as she thought about her answer.  _"I'm...honestly not sure. I don't think I could say what I do unless I were in that situation."_  
  
And judging from the way she looked at Deceit, she still wasn't sure what to think. Virgil's own experience made him far more inclined to assume the worst of Deceit, but he could understand where his mother was coming from. Renilda was, after all,  _his_  mother too - and that did make a difference.   
  
That being said, he was glad that she defended herself in the event that Deceit was there for more nefarious purposes, and he could tell that Renilda felt similarly.   
  
 _What do we do now?_  Virgil wrote, looking to the other three to see what they thought on the matter.  
  
He, Logan, Renilda, and Professor Picani silently exchanged nervous looks. It was clear that none of them really knew where to go from there, and that they were each waiting for someone else to speak up so that they would have something to go on. Before anyone could, though, a groan from the couch diverted their attention.


	13. Chapter 13

Virgil had his wand at his side, eying Deceit closely as he slowly regained consciousness. He was half tempted to send another Stun in Deceit's direction out of spite, but curiosity won out.

Virgil wasn't the only one who had his wand pointed in Deceit's direction. Renilda, Professor Picani, and Logan all had their wands drawn as well. If Deceit  _did_  try something, he was surrounded and outnumbered.  
  
That realization helped to soothe Virgil's nerves a tad, and he found himself breathing somewhat easier. This lasted for all of thirty seconds, perhaps a minute at most.  
  
As soon as Deceit cracked his eyes opened and gained some idea of what was happening around him, he immediately jolted into a seated position. The sudden movement made Virgil jerk backward in surprise. His wand was still outstretched toward Deceit, but he'd shifted from an offensive position to a  _defensive_  position.  
  
 _"Awww, what is this? I feel so welcome,"_  Deceit drawled.  
  
 _"You know perfectly well why we are doing this,"_  Logan retorted.   
  
 _"I do, and I feel welcomed with open arms. Thank you_  so much  _for your hospitality! I'll remember this in the future,"_  Deceit responded, voice practically dripping with sarcasm.  
  
 _"Why are you here, Lionel?"_  Renilda spoke up.  
  
 _"I'm here to kidnap all of you, of course, and then take you back to my lair and perform all sorts of experiments on you. Why else would I be here?"_  Deceit said with a roll of his eyes and a grin on his face.  
  
 _"I knew it!"_  Logan hissed, and Deceit chuckled.  
  
 _"That's not really why you're here, is it?"_  Professor Picani mused, stroking his chin. He seemed to be taking a close look at Deceit, as if he could read Deceit's mind by simply observing him. Well, if  _anyone_  could do it, Virgil would hedge his bets on Professor Picani - and he did  _not_  think Professor Picani was a Legilimens, so that was saying something.  
  
 _"Do I look as though I am that foolish?"_  Deceit arched an eyebrow.  
  
 _It wouldn't be the first time,_  Virgil thought to himself, upset that he couldn't actually  _say_  that or even  _write_  it given his current position.   
  
 _"Well, to be fair, you_  did  _accidentally permanently transfigure half of your face."_  Logan pointed out.  _"The effect doesn't look too terrible, though."_    
  
Virgil snickered.  
  
Deceit positively  _glowered_  at both Logan and Virgil. Virgil was pleased to see that he was getting under Deceit's skin, even if he couldn't actively say anything at that point in time.  _"If you absolutely insist on knowing...I actually had a deal to propose to the lot of you."_  
  
 _"A deal? What sort of deal?"_  Renilda frowned. Despite her attempts to remain firm, it was clear that she was struggling - and who could blame her? This was her  _son_ , and she was actually a decent parent who could not help but  _care_  for her children's well-being, unlike her former spouse.  
  
Deceit didn't know what he was missing...or did he?  
  
Virgil grew increasingly frustrated, realizing that this exchange was occurring at too fast a rate for him to actually participate. He also wanted to keep his wand focused on Deceit, which meant that he could not retrieve his pen and paper from his pocket to communicate. That left him essentially unable to communicate, leaving him tense and uncomfortable. He diverted some of this tension by chewing on his bottom lip.  
  
 _"The kind of deal where I offer you inside information for a certain price,"_  Deceit smirked.  
  
 _"We already have inside information,"_  Logan said in a flat voice.  _"Virgil's memory was modified by your father a few months ago, and Virgil learned a lot in this time - Including quite a bit about this Council that many purebloods such as yourself are a part of."_  
  
Deceit glanced in Virgil's direction and arched an eyebrow.  _"Oh he did, did he?"_  
  
Virgil nodded and arched his own eyebrow as if to say 'what are you going to do about it?'.  
  
Deceit let out a sigh, steepling his fingers together.  _"I suppose it's time to drop the pretenses then."_  
  
 _"Pretenses?"_  Professor Picani frowned, sending Deceit a look that almost seemed to be urging him to continue. Virgil had to admit that he was curious as well.  
  
 _"I am not here for any particularly sinister or nefarious purpose. Sorry to disappoint you,"_  he glanced at Logan and Virgil in particular when he said this, but neither Virgil nor Logan let up. Whether Deceit was  _actually_  there for nefarious purposes or not, they had every  _right_  to assume that he was, and they weren't about to back down just yet.  
  
 _"Humor us, then. Why are you here?"_  Logan inquired.  
  
 _"Ah, I'm not so certain that I could humor_  you,  _Logan. You seem as though you'd be particularly hard to humor,"_  Deceit quipped.  
  
 _"I'm not certain whether to take that as a compliment or an insult,"_  Logan admitted.  
  
 _"Yes,"_  Deceit replied unhelpfully.  
  
 _"Focus!"_  Renilda shouted, drawing everyone's attention. Even  _Deceit_  looked taken aback by her sudden outburst.  _"Bicker and banter all you want later, but right now I want answers!"_  she asserted.  
  
Deceit cleared his throat.  _"I admit...I did not come here with a particular deal in mind. Or even a particular plot. In truth...I desired to speak to you, mother."_  
  
 _"Me?"_  Renilda blinked in surprise.  _"Why?"_  
  
 _"Because I wanted to invite you to the Mother/Son Dance at the Council's next ball, of course."_  Deceit smirked, but then the smirk slowly fell, and Deceit rubbed the side of his neck in a way that was almost reminiscent of  _Virgil_.  _"Actually...I was wondering if your spare room might be open,"_  he admitted at last.  _"Whew, is that what telling the truth feels like? What an odd sensation,"_  Deceit quickly followed up his admission - a bit  _too_ quickly, almost as if he were trying to distract from his admission in the first place.  
  
The other four stared at him as if he'd grown an extra head. It was clear that no one, not even Deceit, knew what to say or do next.


	14. Chapter 14

_"You want to stay here? Why?"_  Renilda blurted out, the first to break the silence. Virgil supposed that was fitting, considering Deceit's comment was directed toward her in particular.  
  
_"I saw your spare room the last time I was over here and I thought it looked like a lovely place for my next lair,"_  Deceit replied.  
  
_"...your next lair?"_  Renilda blinked in confusion.  
  
_"You see, Virgil and Logan seem intent on painting me as the bad guy so I'm playing up that image,"_  Deceit explained.  
  
"You've given us every reason to paint you as the bad guy!" Virgil snarled.  
  
Deceit snickered.  _"Would you like to try that again in English?"_  
  
Virgil felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. Perhaps the worst part was that he could say  _nothing_  to defend himself. He narrowed his eyes.  
  
_"Lionel Thompson,"_  Renilda hissed.  _"You have some nerve."_  She stepped forward, one hand on her hip as she kept hold of her wand in the other hand.  _"You want a room here? You will_  not talk to your brother in that way."[/i]  
  
Virgil let out a sigh of relief, glad that  _someone_  attempted to put Deceit in his place. His relief was short lived, however, as the  _rest_  of what Renilda said hit him like a Stunning Charm.  
  
You want a room here?  _You want a rook here?_  Why would she say that? She couldn't possibly be considering...  
  
_"If he wants a room here? I wasn't aware that option was on the table,"_  Logan remarked.  
  
_Exactly, Logan,_  Virgil thought to himself.   
  
_"He will always have that option,"_  Renilda looked to Deceit.  
  
Deceit's eyes widened.  _"Are you serious?"_  It was clear that even  _he_  hadn't expected Renilda to be so open to the idea.  
  
_"Of course I'm serious!"_  Renilda replied, a smile on her face.  
  
"NO!" Virgil shouted.  
  
_"NO!"_  Logan chimed in at the same time.  
  
One did not have to partake in much guesswork to determine what Virgil said in this instance, even with the curse in place.

 _"Perhaps we should hear them out,"_  Professor Picani noted.  
  
_"Of course you should hear us out! Did you forget what this man has done? He nearly killed several students at Hogwarts, one of whom you met. He attempted to kill his brother, your only other son. He may have attempted to kill you as well. Do you really want to welcome him into this house with open arms?"_  Logan argued.  
  
Renilda looked taken aback.  _"Just where did I say I was welcoming him with open arms?"_  
  
_"You did say that the option was always open for Lionel to move back in if he desired to do so,"_  Professor Picani reasoned.  
  
_"I did,"_  Renilda agreed.  _"But I did not say I would do so with open arms. Open arms, to me, would imply that I accept him into this home with no conditions. I have no intention of doing that. I am not a fool."_  
  
Logan's eyes immediately went wide.  _"I was not meaning to suggest that you were, Ms. Nyx."_    
  
In this instance, Virgil was  _glad_  for the curse. At least he wasn't in the awkward position that Logan was, attempting to backtrack on an argument that, to be fair, seemed completely reasonable in different circumstances.  
  
_"Ah yes, conditions. I did not expect those at all,"_  Deceit retorted.  
  
_"First off, you will not attack anyone in this home. Do so and you will be immediately subdued and we will notify the Ministry,"_ Renilda began.  
  
Oh, right. Deceit was a  _wanted fugitive_. Virgil folded his arms across his chest in a defensive stance as he watched the situation unfold, though he still held his wand at the read with his left hand even in this position.  
  
_"You will not shift into your Animagus form,"_  Renilda continued.  _"You will not be left alone - we need to keep a close eye on you. In fact, I don't even want you to be alone with just one of us. You will be with two of us at all times."_  
  
Renilda eyed Deceit before she continued.  _"You will not betray us. I am willing to allow you back into my home, as I am your mother and you are my son. But should you fail to meet these conditions? I will not hesitate to take immediate action. Is that understood, Lionel?"_  
  
Deceit looked just as taken aback as the rest of them, and thus Virgil was not entirely surprised when he nodded. He still did not trust Deceit, but he did feel better knowing that his mother did not entirely trust her eldest son either.

  _"Alright, if all of that is settled, I will get the spare bedroom ready,"_  Renilda announced, making her way over to said bedroom. Professor Picani followed, motioning for Deceit to come with him. Deceit motioned to himself in puzzlement, as if making certain that he was interpreting Professor Picani's invitation correctly. When Professor Picani nodded, he glanced to Virgil and Logan, then proceeded after Professor Picani and Renilda.

Virgil finally allowed his wand to drop back to his side, as did Logan. They both slipped their wands back into their pockets, close at hand in the event that they  _needed_  them (and they both kept their ears open for anything suspicious happening in the spare bedroom, as neither of them trusted Deceit any farther than they could throw him). Virgil hastily removed his pad and paper from his pocket, grateful that he could  _finally_ communicate.  
  
 _I don't want him here,_  Virgil wrote, showing this to Logan.  
  
Logan glanced in the direction of the spare bedroom and nodded.  _"Nor do I. I know your mother intends to keep a close eye on him, but I believe we should keep an even closer eye. We need to be ready should he choose to attack."_  
  
 _We need to tell the others,_  Virgil implored.  
  
 _"That we do,"_  Logan agreed.  _"The more who know about this, the better. You set to work on an owl for Elliott, Shane, and Paige at Hogwarts. I'll send an owl to the Leaky Cauldron for Patton, Roman, Era, Astrit, and Chelsea."_  
  
The two of them set to work.


	15. Chapter 15

Virgil refused to leave the house for days, even as Logan insisted that they really ought to meet up with their friends at the Leaky Cauldron to discuss what they were going to do about the Deceit situation.  
  
 _What if he does something when we're gone?_  Virgil wrote to Logan one afternoon.  
  
 _"He would be stupid to do something while we're gone,"_  Logan pointed out.  _"Both your mother and Professor Picani are present. It is the reason why your mother devised the two person system in the first place. Even if Deceit does try to go after one person, there is safety in numbers."_  
  
 _Exactly, there's safety in numbers. He might be able to fight back against two people. I don't think he can fight back against four,_ Virgil argued.  
  
 _"Deceit has been alone with just the two of us and has not done anything,"_  Logan reasoned.  
  
 _That's different,_  Virgil replied.  
  
 _"I don't follow,"_  Logan frowned.  _"How is it any different when it is the two of us alone with Deceit versus Professor Picani and your mother alone with Deceit? Either way, he would be alone with two people."_  
  
 _We won't be here,_  Virgil jotted out.  
  
 _"...ah, I see. You do not wish to leave your mother and Professor Picani alone with Deceit because you fear that he will attack while we are gone, and you will be unable to do anything about it,"_  Logan recognized.  
  
Virgil sighed. Logan hit the nail right on the head, but hearing his worries voiced aloud did not help him to feel any better. In fact, in this instance it made him feel  _worse_ , as they seemed that much more real.  
  
 _"I have a suggestion, if you are open to hearing it,"_  Logan announced.  
  
Virgil arched an eyebrow and motioned for Logan to continue.  
  
 _"We could invite our friends over here,"_  Logan proposed.  
  
Virgil frowned. It was their best option, though holding a meeting in his mother's flat meant that they ran the risk of Deceit overhearing anything that they had to say. It was one thing when it was only Virgil and Logan communicating - they could remain reasonably quiet. It would be a lot harder to do that once their friends came over. Not only would there be a larger number of people to attempt to keep quiet, but two of those people were Roman and Patton. Virgil loved them both, they were two of his best friends, but quiet was hardly a word in their vocabulary. The same could be said for Chelsea, for that matter.

 _"We really don't have any other options, lest we leave your mother and Professor Picani alone with Deceit,"_  Logan reminded Virgil.  
  
 _Yeah, let's do it,_  Virgil scribbled out with a sigh, showing the note to Logan.  
  
Roman, Patton, Chelsea, Era, and Astrit came later that day. As soon as Roman stepped through the door, he brandished what looked to be a sword, a determined look on his face as he peered around the room.  _"Where is that fiend?"_  
  
 _"You can't possibly be referring to me,"_  Deceit arched an eyebrow from his spot on the couch, where he was reading a book about snakes.  
  
 _"AHA! The snake reveals itself,"_  Roman announced, slicing his sword through the air.  
  
 _"Where did you even_  get  _that?"_  Chelsea eyed the object in question.  
  
 _"That? Oh, it's not a real sword! It's a trick wand that he purchased from a joke shop!"_  Patton replied.  
  
 _"Er, don't pay any heed to what Patton is saying. Of course this is a real sword!"_  Roman insisted, though he looked slightly uncomfortable.  
  
 _"Oh this is absolutely adorable,"_  Deceit smirked.  
  
 _"I'll give you adorable!"_  Roman growled, dashing forth and swinging his wand toward Deceit full force.  
  
Virgil winced. Though he strongly suspected that Roman's sword was indeed a fake, it  _looked_  real enough that it was hard not to get fooled.  
  
Deceit, on the other hand, didn't even flinch as Roman stopped the sword a foot from Deceit's neck. The sword shifted into a long brown stick, that quickly shifted into a bunch of flowers. Roman attempted a scowl that looked more like a pout if one asked Virgil.  _"You didn't even flinch!"_  
  
 _"Because I had_  no  _idea that it would turn into a bouquet of flowers just before it hit me,"_  Deceit retorted with a roll of his eyes.   
  
Virgil, on the other hand, could not help but feel immense relief upon receiving confirmation that said sword was fake - he didn't think his mother would be too happy about his brother being decapitated by one of his friends in the living room.  
  
 _"You didn't tell us that he'd be here when you invited us over,"_  Era frowned.  
  
 _"I mean, you said he'd be here, just not...here, in the same room with us,"_  Astrit clarified.  
  
 _"Oh, don't mind me, I won't be bothering you,"_  Deceit chimed in with a wave of his hand.  
  
Silence ensued.  
  
 _"Get out of here, Jack the Fibber,"_  Roman folded his arms across his chest.  
  
 _"Oh, fine. But you've seen the last of me,"_  Deceit taunted before slipping into the next room with Renilda and Professor Picani.  
  
 _"Ugh, how do you even put up with him?"_  Chelsea made a face as she watched Deceit's retreating back.  
  
 _"He's claimed to turn over a new leaf,"_  Logan explained.  
  
Roman let out a derisive snort at that.  _"Him? That hardly seems likely. A slippery snake like him rarely sheds his scales."_  
  
 _"To the contrary, snakes typically molt two to four times a year,"_ Logan asserted.  
  
 _"I meant...I did not mean literally..."_  Roman stammered.  
  
 _"Huh, wonder if Deceit sheds those scales on the side of his face like an actual snake,"_  Patton wondered.  
  
 _"That's something I didn't need to think about before dinner,"_  Era made a face.  
  
 _"Why don't you ask him? He is in the next room,"_  Chelsea pointed out.  
  
 _"Just go up to him and ask him if part of his face falls off two to four times a year? I'm sure that'll go well,"_  Astrit snorted.  
  
Virgil could not help but smile, despite constantly feeling on edge as of late. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to invite his friends over after all. Though he could not quite shake the feeling that Deceit was still watching from the shadows...


	16. Chapter 16

It helped, knowing that his friends knew about Deceit's presence at Renilda's flat, though he still had an awful  _lot_  to worry about.  
  
By offering Deceit board in her home, she was harboring a fugitive. If the Ministry were to discover Deceit's presence, they could potentially arrest not only Deceit but  _Renilda_  as well. Possibly Virgil and Logan as well, as they'd taken up residence at Renilda's flat and were of age. Possibly even all of their friends, as  _none_  of them reported the whereabouts of Lionel Thompson to the authorities despite knowing full well where he was located.  
  
Deceit better  _appreciate_  what they were doing for him. Virgil hoped this wasn't all for naught.  
  
He still didn't trust Deceit, but every day that passed without a mishap eased Virgil's doubts the slightest bit more.

Virgil still didn't leave the house much, but Logan was able to get him to tag along for a trip to Flourish and Blotts. Not only did he have a few books he wanted to check out, but his parents notified him that they would meet with him there. Virgil was entirely ready to stay at home, but Logan mentioned that his parents wanted to see Virgil again, and...Virgil couldn't exactly say  _no_  without looking incredibly rude, could he?  
  
At least they wouldn't be traveling far. Flourish and Blotts was still located in Diagon Alley. Professor Picani and Renilda were both home, which meant that Deceit would not be alone with anyone. Virgil wished that he still had the enchanted watch; he would have given it to Professor Picani or his mother to borrow so that they could notify Virgil and Logan if anything was amiss.  
  
When Virgil noted this to Logan on their way to Flourish and Blotts, Logan quickly argued  _against_  it.  
  
 _"Deceit has the watch, does he not? Which means that he knows about the watch, and therefore even if we were able to retrieve the watch from him and give it to your mother or Professor Picani, he would recognize it and thus prevent your mother and Professor Picani from using it for it's intended purposes. He might even use it to lure us into a trap on purpose in such an instance,"_  Logan reasoned.  
  
Virgil sighed. It was a nice thought, and would have made him feel better, but Logan had a point.  
  
 _Do your parents know?_  Virgil wrote as the two stopped at the front of the wizarding bookstore.  
  
 _"Know what?"_  Logan stared back in confusion.  
  
Virgil motioned to his mouth and then to the pad and paper in his hand.   
  
 _"Ohhhhhh. Yes, they know about the curse,"_  Logan clarified.  
  
At least they wouldn't be caught off guard by Virgil's inability to speak? Virgil had grown somewhat used to this method of communication when it came to his friends and family, but it was still a challenge with others, especially when/if they did not know what to expect. During the rare moments he and Logan did venture out, Virgil let Logan do most of the talking. He was always more eloquent than Virgil anyway, even before Virgil's speech was cursed.  
  
He'd hoped that the curse would fade with time, but it still affected him. While at Flourish and Blotts, Virgil decided that he would look into purchasing a couple of books on curse breaking to see if he had any luck with those.  
  
Virgil and Logan finally stepped inside the building, where they were immediately greeted by a shop worker.  _"Hello, welcome to Flourish and Blotts! Is there anything I can assist you with today?"_  
  
Virgil glanced to Logan at once. Logan blinked in surprise before flattening out his tie and regaining his composure.  _"We hoped to look at a few books. Nothing in particular, though perhaps you could point us in the direction of your Curse Breaking, Astronomy, and Potions books?"_  
  
Virgil would have added Defense Against the Dark Arts to that mix as well, but the shop worker was already motioning for Virgil and Logan to follow her, and he knew that  _writing_  his request would only garner odd looks from this stranger. So he remained mum and walked beside Logan as the two were lead to the Astronomy section.  
  
 _"The Curse Breaking books are located in the Defense Against the Dark Arts section, which is located a few aisles down. Potions is on the lower level and to the left. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"_  the woman inquired.  
  
Logan glanced to Virgil, who shook his head.  _"No thank you, that will be all. Thank you for your assistance,"_  Logan informed her, and the two watched as she headed back to the front of the store to greet another patron.

 _I'll be in the DADA section,_  Virgil wrote on his pad. Logan read the message and nodded in acknowledgement, and Virgil made his way over to the section in question.

There were  _several_  interesting books within the Defense Against the Dark Arts section, including one dedicated solely to Patronuses and what different Patronuses meant. Virgil flipped to a page at the end of his pad and jotted down the name of the book so that he could check it out later if he had time. He  _needed_  to look at the curse breaking books, though, so he made his way over to that sub-section and began to look.  
  
A quick perusal of most of the looks told Virgil that they would offer little help, but he did find a couple of books that looked promising. Even in the event that nothing in the books worked to help Virgil with his predicament, each book  _did_  discuss other interesting subjects, so it wouldn't be a total waste.  
  
Virgil figured he'd swing by to check out that Patronus book before leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts section to find Logan. He was mildly surprised to see two people already standing in front of the book.  _Change of plans, then,_  Virgil thought to himself with a sigh as he began to change course. It was at that moment that he happened to catch a snippet of the conversation between the middle-aged couple standing in front of the bookshelf.  
  
 _"Look, a book on Patroni!"_  a familiar voice gasped.  
  
Her partner chuckled.  _"It's Patronuses, dear,"_  he corrected.  
  
 _"Patroni, Patronuses; Tomato, Solanum Lycopersicum..."_  she retorted.  
  
Virgil frowned. He didn't see the couple's face, but he their voices sounded familiar, and if he didn't know any better, the way the woman in particular spoke reminded him of his boyfriend...  
  
 _"There are theories as to what different Patronuses represent...what did Logan say his Patronus was, again? A raven?"_  the woman asked, and Virgil's eyes widened as he realized at once why this couple sounded so familiar.  
  
He grinned, ready to set off and find Logan. Instead, he collided with the bookshelf behind him with a loud enough thud that the couple turned to look at him.  
  
 _"Virgil Thompson, it's lovely to see you again,"_  Armand Dicax said with a smile.  
  
Virgil gave a small wave in return.


	17. Chapter 17

_"Virgil, hello! Logan's Patronus is a raven, correct?"_  Tara Dicax asked, acknowledging Virgil's presence but still enraptured by the book in her hands.  
  
Fortunately, she glanced up at him when she asked her question, so a nod from Virgil sufficed as an answer. Nevertheless, Virgil set his books down on the ledge of one of the bookshelves and retrieved his pad and paper from the jacket of his hoodie.  
  
 _Logan's around here somewhere,_  Virgil jotted down and showed to Logan's parents.  
  
 _"Probably in the Astronomy section. He's enjoyed space since he was a little boy. Did you know that he and his stuffed animals colonized Mars?"_  Mr. Dicax inquired.  
  
Virgil shook his head, a smile slowly creeping it's way onto his features. He could  _easily_  see Logan doing something like that with his stuffed animals when he was a child.  
  
 _Astronomy or Potions,_  Virgil wrote in reply.  _He asked about both._    
  
 _"I've always wondered if it is possible for a Muggle to brew certain potions,"_  Mrs. Dicax remarked, finally glancing up from whatever it was she was reading about her son's Patronus.  
  
 _"I imagine it would depend on the potion, mother,"_  Logan responded. Virgil gave a slight jolt in surprise, holding his hand to his chest and shooting Logan a look, but then quickly regained his composure.

 _"Certain potions require the use of a spell to properly activate them, while others do not,"_  Logan elaborated.  
  
 _"So I could learn to brew the potions that don't require magic?"_ Tara grinned.  
  
 _"Or even the ones that do,"_  Armand smiled.  _"You could still brew the potions, we'd just have to cast the spells. I would even argue that you'd be better at Potions than I am, what with all of the chemicals you work with for your job. Its q similar concept, only with ingredients that have more magical properties."_  
  
Tara looked so excited that Virgil could not help but smile himself.   
  
 _"You've been staying around here, haven't you?"_  Tara asked Virgil and Logan, catching both of them off guard. Figuring that it would be much faster to let Logan answer, Virgil cast a glance in his direction.  
  
 _"We have,"_  Logan confirmed.  _"First we stayed at the Leaky Cauldron, but then Ms. Nyx - Virgil's mother, that is - invited us to stay in her home. She lives in a flat just up the road."_  
  
 _"We should invite her to meet with us!"_  Armand proposed.  
  
 _"Oh, I don't know if she'd be able to, she is quite busy, and I believe she has company,"_  Logan explained.  
  
 _"Awww, that's too bad,"_  Tara said, a note of disappointment in her voice.  
  
 _"Perhaps next time,"_  Armand conceded.  
  
 _"Shall we stay in Flourish and Blotts or did you have another destination in mind?"_  Logan inquired.  
  
 _"I think we've found everything we need here,"_  Tara replied.  
  
The four of them made their way to the front of the store to pay for their books. Virgil purchased two books on curse breaking, Logan purchased an Astronomy book and a Potions book, and Logan's parents purchased the Patronus book that Tara was looking at.

 _"Let's grab a bite to eat next,"_  Armand announced.   
  
The four headed toward the Leaky Cauldron. There weren't many fine dining options in Diagon Alley, so they'd have to make due with what they had.

Were Deceit not crashing at Renilda's flat, Virgil would have almost been tempted to invite Logan's parents for dinner. Of course, he would check with his mother to make certain that it was alright first, but he was fairly certain it would be.  
  
Hard to do that with a  _fugitive_  hiding out in the house, though.

They found a table in the dining room of the Leaky Cauldron. Once they were settled and ordered their food, they had time to kill. Tara pulled out the book on Patronuses once more.  _"Your Patronus is a raven, right?"_  she questioned her son.  
  
Logan replied with a curt nod.  
  
 _"Do you select your Patronus or does it take its form on it's own accord?"_  Tara wondered.  
  
 _"It takes its form of it's own accord,"_  Logan replied.  
  
 _"Says here that ravens are one of the most intelligent animals there are - seems fitting to me thus far,"_  Tara smiled.  
  
 _"Oh, mother,"_  Logan cleared his throat. Virgil had to bite down on his lip to keep himself from chuckling at the fact that Logan turned a faint shade of red at this praise.   
  
 _"It seems all too fitting that your Patronus is a raven, given your house,"_  Tara chuckled.  _"Which reminds me...you do plan on going back to school, I hope?"_  
  
 _"Oh! Of course I do!"_  Logan blurted out.  
  
 _If he hadn't missed so much already he probably would have already gone back,_  Virgil wrote, clearing his throat so that the others would look.   
  
 _"Awww, that's my little scholar!"_  Tara beamed.  
  
 _"Mother..."_  Logan cast a furtive glance around, as if to make certain that no one else was paying an undue amount of attention to their table.  _"Thanks,"_  he mumbled, a small smile making it's way onto his face.  
  
 _"What about you, Virgil?"_  Tara turned to face Virgil as Virgil's eyes went wide in surprise. Armand chuckled at the sight. Fortunately, Tara  _correctly_  interpreted Virgil's owlish look as an indication that she needed to clarify her meaning, and did so.  _"What is your Patronus?"_  
  
 _Cheetah,_  Virgil replied. He left out the part where he was unsure if he could even  _cast_  a Patronus now, not only because his curse meant that all of his spells had to be nonverbal, but because he felt tainted after everything that happened with his father and the Council. Even if he wasn't cursed, his soul might be too soiled to properly cast a Patronus Charm.  
  
 _"Aha, cheetah!"_  Tara announced, offering Virgil a brief respite from his thoughts. Virgil looked to her expectantly, admittedly curious as to what the book said about cheetahs.

 _"Cheetahs are the fastest animals found on land. They are mainly solitary creatures, although they may stay in small, close-knit groups for the purpose of hunting. They tend to be on edge. While many big cats would be ready to pounce on a human, cheetahs are more likely to flee in the presence of a human. That being said, their agility is something to marvel at,"_  Tara read.  
  
 _"I still think a cheetah suits you quite well,"_  Logan informed Virgil.  
  
Virgil shrugged, but managed a smile nevertheless. He liked his Patronus well enough. He liked cats, and a cheetah was a large cat. Not to mention his Patronus genuinely  _did_  make him safer.  
  
 _"Armand, what is your Patronus?"_  Tara asked her husband.  
  
 _"An owl, but I think we will have to breach that subject another time. Our food appears to be on its way,"_  Armand announced.  
  
Tara set her book to the side just as the waitress brought their food to the table.  
  
From there, the conversation slowed considerably, though Virgil was kept plenty occupied by his own thoughts...


	18. Chapter 18

_Expecto Patronum!_  Virgil thought, pointing his wand outward. A silvery mist departed from the end of his wand, but nothing corporeal.  
  
He supposed that he ought to take it as a good sign that he could manage even  _that_ , but it was still discouraging. It felt as if he was back at square one - and given how hard he worked to make it to where he was? It was a major blow.  
  
After the fifteenth or so attempt at casting the charm that only resulted in a mist, Virgil was tempted to chuck his wane across the room. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that his wand was used to him. He'd cast the Patronus Charm a number of times with this wand before. If he could successfully cast the spell again with any wand, it would be the one in his hand.  
  
 _"Any luck?"_  Logan asked as he entered the room.  
  
 _Expecto Patronum,_  Virgil thought hard, but ultimately produced nothing more than the telltale silvery mist.  
  
 _"You'll get it, Virgil. You've done it before,"_  Logan assured him in an even voice.   
  
It would be nice if Virgil could bring himself to believe that. Even before the curse, Virgil feared that a day may come when he'd be unable to cast the Patronus Charm, hence why he practiced to lower the chances of that happening.  
  
He hadn't practiced at Thompson Manor, his memories warped to the point where he did not even recall that he'd  _ever_ cast the Patronus Charm when he was with Linus.

He hadn't practiced when he first made it back, too caught up in everything else that was happening. Then, he was cursed.  
  
 _"Your mother has told me to inform you that dinner is ready,"_ Logan told me.  _"You can give that a rest, then try it again when you return?"_  Logam proposed.  
  
Virgil shrugged, rising to his feet. He was tempted to keep working, but he knew his mother worked hard on dinner and that wouldn't really be fair to her.  
  
Professor Picani was not there, leaving just four places at the table.

 _"No Professor Picani today?"_  Logan asked as he took a seat.  
  
Renilda shook her head.  _"He had a meeting to attend at Hogwarts. How is the practice going?"_  she turned to Virgil.  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise.  
  
 _"Yes, I know you've been trying to cast the Patronus Charm. Mothers have eyes in the back of their heads, remember?"_ Renilda winked.  
  
 _"You're trying to cast the Patronus Charm?"_  Deceit asked in a curious tone.  
  
Virgil shrugged, not wanting to discuss the matter in great detail in front of Deceit. The last thing he needed was Deceit getting involved.  
  
After helping his mother with the dishes, Virgil made his way back to his room. After he and Logan got situated, Virgil made his latest attempt to cast the Patronus Charm.  _Expecto Patronum!_  he thought. Nothing but a silvery mist. Virgil let out a growl of frustration.  
  
 _"Oh yes, growl at it. I'm sure that will be a huge help,"_  a voice remarked from the doorway.  
  
Crap, now  _Deceit_  was watching. He'd never do it now. Virgil sighed and let his wand hand fall back to his side.  
  
 _"Oh no, don't mind me. I won't bother you at all,"_  Deceit assured him with a smile that was almost sickeningly sweet.  
  
Virgil arched an eyebrow as if to say 'really?', but brandished his wand once more. He closed his eyes and recalled the moment he discovered that he achieved an O on his Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL.  _Expecto Patronum!_  he thought.

More silvery mist, but nothing corporeal. Deceit yawned loudly.  
  
Logan cast a glare in his direction.  _"If you're so tired, perhaps you should head to bed."_  
  
Deceit folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the side of the doorway.  _"Nah."_  
  
Virgil's grip on his wand tightened. He was sorely tempted to chuck his wand at Deceit, but that would do him little good. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes once more, attempting to shut out Deceit's presence. The room was quiet.  _Expecto Patronum!_  Virgil thought, his brows furrowing as he did so.  
  
 _"Don't think too hard, you'll give yourself a headache,"_  Deceit contributed unhelpfully.  
  
 _"If you're not going to help then leave,"_  Logan narrowed his eyes.  
  
 _"And miss the show? I'd rather stick around,"_  Deceit retorted.   
  
 _"Its not a show, its practice,"_  Logan huffed.  
  
 _"How long has he been practicing with this little success? There comes a point where one should just give up...its sad otherwise,"_ Deceit argued.  _"This is verging - pardon the pun - on that level, don't you think?"_

 _"I don't think anyone asked for your opinion, Lionel,"_ Logan huffed, then turned his attention back to Virgil, who hadn't actually done anything since Logan and Deceit began to argue. It was hard for him to concentrate while the two of them were bickering in the background. __"You can do this, Virgil. You know you can do this. You've done it before."_  _Virgil cast a half-smile in Logan's direction and slowly raised his wand once more. _  
_  
 _"Yes, but when was the last time you did it, Virgil? You could talk at that point, could you not? Face it, you'll never get back to the point you were at before. You'll never cast another Patronus Charm again, and you might as well come to terms with that,"_ Deceit sighed. __  
  
Virgil narrowed his eyes. As opposed to dragging Virgil further into the pits of despair, Deceit's words had an odd effect on Virgil. Sure, Deceit was voicing many of the doubts that Virgil considered himself. But hearing Deceit say it? It made Virgil want to do everything he possibly could to wipe that smug smirk off of his brother's face.

Virgil extended his wand once more. He closed his eyes tightly so that he could focus on his good memory. This time, he chose to focus on the memory of his reunion with his friends after Logan broke through the enchantments that Linus placed on him.  _Expecto Patronum!_  he shouted mentally. 


	19. Chapter 19

Virgil's first clue that  _something_  happened was a gasp from Logan.   
  
Virgil cracked his eyes open, and was immediately greeted by the familiar sight of a silvery-white cheetah.

He did it.  _He actually did it._  Already, the light from his Patronus made Virgil feel safer than he had in a long while. What's more, he felt as if he'd triumphed over something heavy. What Linus did would stick with him without a doubt, but it wasn't going to effect his ability to cast a Patronus, nor was the curse. He wasn't any less of a wizard because he was cursed, and this was proof positive of that.  
  
 _"I told you you couldn't do it, didn't I?"_  Deceit said from the doorway with a smirk before turning and heading back out to the hallway.

Virgil's gaze shot to Logan, who shrugged.  _"I told you that you could do it,"_  he said to Virgil.  
  
Virgil nodded, then looked to his cheetah Patronus, still shimmering in the middle of the room. Storm looked up from her perch on Virgil's bed, staring intently at the figure of the larger cat.  
  
 _"Expecto Patronum!"_  Logan called out adding his raven Patronus to the fray.  
  
Storm eyed the raven with even more intent in her gaze. She immediately pounced for it, peering back at it in surprise and confusion when she realized it wasn't an average bird. Virgil and Logan both snickered at the sight.  
  
 _What do you think Deceit meant?_  Virgil wrote to Logan after retrieving his supplies from his pocket.  
  
 _"I have a theory, but I'm not certain of its validity. If there were a way to test my hypothesis..."_ Logan began, pausing when he saw Virgil chuckling.  _"What?"_  
  
 _Please don't perform science experiments on my brother. I don't care, but I think my mother might,_  Virgil jotted down, showing the words to Logan with a grin.

 _"I didn't...not that sort of hypothesis,"_  Logan stammered.  
  
 _Just teasing, L. Love it when you get all flustered,_  Virgil grinned. The fact that he had to  _write_  his retort made the scene feel slightly less romantic in Virgil's opinion, but he had to make due.   
  
At any rate, Logan's face grew redder as he glimpsed Virgil's words, which meant that the whole thing was a success as far as Virgil was concerned.  
  
Yes, the knowledge that he could still cast his Patronus had a positive impact on Virgil's mood overall. Everything seemed brighter, he found it easier to smile, and while it did not alleviate  _all_  of his problems (and it would be foolish to presume it would), it did offer a boost of sorts, and Virgil would take what he could get.  
  
He still wanted to figure out what was going on with Deceit, though. Tapping his pen on his pad as he hesitated, he took a breath before scribbling out what he wanted to say next.  _I'm gonna talk to him,_  he told Logan.  
  
Logan nodded.  _"I figured you might say that."_  
  
 _Really?_  Virgil arched his eyebrow with that.  _Stop reading my mind,_  he smirked.  
  
 _"It's not mind reading, it is my job as your boyfriend to know you well. I will not tolerate this slander to my character,"_  Logan replied, but the smirk on his own face indicated to Virgil plain as day that Logan was joking as well.  
  
 _"Would you like me to accompany you while you speak with your brother?"_  Logan asked.  
  
 _Stick close just in case he pulls something, but you don't have to go in. It's probably better that way,_  Virgil replied after some consideration. As their attention was diverted toward this discussion, their Patronuses were slowly fading - much to the relief of one very puzzled Bombay cat.

 _"I'll stick near the room, perhaps have a little chat with your mother to pass the time, but I won't actually step into your brother's room. How does that sound?"_  Logan proposed.  
  
 _Sounds good to me,_  Virgil responded. He slipped his pen and pad back into his pocket for ease of transport. He made his way toward the door. Logan followed, closing the door to Virgil's room behind him.   
  
Logan made his way around the corner, out of sight of Deceit. Virgil knocked on the door to his brother's room, stuffing his hands in his pockets in an attempt to seem casual while he waited for Deceit to answer his door.  
  
Deceit pulled his door open, sizing Virgil up as he did so.  _"Virgil, my favorite brother."_  He motioned for Virgil to step inside.   
  
Virgil chewed on his bottom lip, tempted to peer around the corner to make certain that Logan was still there, but not wanting  _Deceit_  to know that Logan was there. Deceit closed the door and rounded on Virgil at once.  
  
 _"Tell your boyfriend that his hiding place is fantastic and that I absolutely did not hear the footsteps of two people heading in this direction,"_  Deceit folded his arms across his chest, arching a brow.  
  
Virgil paled considerably - so much for that.  
  
 _"I suppose you're here for a reason, not merely to pay a visit to your dear brother- you certainly haven't paid me much heed since I arrived here,"_  Deceit remarked.  
  
Virgil had no choice but to nod, slipping his left hand out of his pocket - and along with it Virgil's pen and pad.  
  
 _"Oh good, we may be able to actually get somewhere,"_  Deceit observed.   
  
 _Why did you come into my room?_  Virgil wrote, glaring at his brother.  
  
 _"I wanted to see my favorite brother, of course, why else?"_  Deceit replied.  
  
Virgil crossed his arms and let out a loud snort, indicating just how unbelievable he found that line of reasoning to be. Try again, Deceit.  
  
 _"No?"_  Deceit smirked, clearly picking up on his brother's skepticism.  _"To watch you flounder and suffer?"_  
  
Virgil's stomach lurched at that, but...no. That wasn't right either. It didn't make sense. Virgil arched his eyebrow.  
  
 _"It's just as I said, Virgil - I knew you would never succeed at casting the Patronus Charm."_

Just what was  _that_ supposed to mean?


	20. Chapter 20

What was Virgil even supposed to make of  _that_?  
  
 _"It's just as I said, Virgil - I knew you would never succeed at casting the Patronus Charm."_  
  
But he  _had_  cast the Patronus Charm. Virgil saw it, Logan saw it, even  _Deceit_  saw it. So why was Deceit pretending otherwise? Was it to get Virgil to question himself?  
  
He hated that it was  _working_. He knew, logically, that he cast the Patronus Charm, but he still found himself questioning his own observations. Had he merely cast what  _looked_  to be a Patronus? Was it all an illusion?  
  
 _I did cast a Patronus Charm,_  Virgil asserted, but he wasn't as certain as he was before.  
  
Deceit let out a sigh.  _"Precisely why I said that you couldn't cast it."_  
  
Virgil turned to Deceit in confusion. Though he didn't speak  _or_  write it, the quizzical expression on Virgil's face spoke for itself -  _What?_  
  
Deceit let out a snort.  _"Empty reassurances were doing so much for you."_  
  
Virgil was half tempted to shake Deceit and ask him to spell out what it was he was trying to say rather than speak in these absurd ridd- Virgil's eyes widened. Riddles. Deceit wasn't exactly known for being direct and to the point, and perhaps that was Deceit's very  _point_  in this instance.  
  
 _You were telling me I couldn't do it because you thought I could?_  Virgil wrote.  
  
Deceit clapped his hands together.  
  
 _What the hell, Deceit?_  Virgil scribbled at once, gaping at his brother.  
  
Deceit shrugged.  _"As I said, Logan's encouraging words were doing so much to help you."_  
  
 _They were,_  Virgil retorted.  
  
 _"Did you cast a Patronus listening to Logan's words?"_  Deceit questioned.  
  
Virgil, of course, shook his head.  
  
 _"Did you cast a Patronus after hearing my words?"_  Deceit smirked.  
  
Virgil scowled and nodded. Great, Deceit had some way to hold this over his head. He could see it already. It certainly explained  _why_  Deceit would help him at any rate.  
  
 _"Perhaps you will reconsider my presence in this home, then?"_  Deceit inquired.  
  
 _What do you mean?_  Virgil jotted out.  
  
 _"You and Logan have made it perfectly clear how much you appreciate my presence in this home,"_ Deceit folded his arms across his chest.  
  
 _AND?_  Virgil motioned for Deceit to continue...whatever it was that Deceit was doing.  
  
 _"Does that seem entirely fair to you? To treat your brother in such a way after after all of that?"_ Deceit pressed on.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. Oh, Deceit was trying to play  _that_  game.  
  
 _You expect everything to be hunky-dory after one good deed? Is that what you're getting at?_  Virgil scribbled.  
  
 _"Well typically one_  would  _say thank you,"_  Deceit retorted.  
  
 _Go to hell,_  Virgil wrote.  
  
 _"Well that's rude,"_  Deceit huffed.  _"You try to do something nice for a person..."_  
  
 _Thanks for your help with the Patronus, but that doesn't change things,_  Virgil explained.  
  
 _"How does it not? It's not a a particularly villainous act, is it?"_  Deceit pointed out.  
  
 _You don't get it, do you?_  Virgil frowned as the situation grew clearer from his perspective.  
  
Too bad the same could not be said for Deceit.  _"I understand perfectly,"_  Deceit assured him.  
  
 _No, you don't,_  Virgil replied. Deceit opened his mouth to offer another retort, but Virgil held up his hand in a nonverbal signal telling Deceit to wait because he was not finished.

 _You did a good deed. That's a good start. But it's only a start,_  Virgil explained.  _One good deed does not make up for all the bad things you've done._  
  
Deceit arched a brow at that.  _"So what, you want me to do a good deed for every bad deed I've ever done before you'll even give me a chance?"_  
  
 _No,_  Virgil replied.  _That's not how it works either. What I'm saying is that I would like to believe in you. I'd like to think you're here for a good reason and that you won't turn around and stab us in the back. But one good deed isn't going to fix everything, not after everything you've done._  
  
Deceit's expression was impassive and thereby hard to read. Virgil hoped that it was because Deceit was taking what he said into consideration, but he didn't want to get his hopes up too high.

Based on Deceit's reactions thus far, it looked as if Deceit did not truly  _understand_  what Virgil was trying to say to him - his comment about having to do one good deed for every bad deed was proof positive of that. It wasn't a matter of simply exchanging the bad for the good, as if the two were currency. He had to  _understand_  why his prior actions were wrong, that his prior actions hurt and nearly  _killed_  innocent people. They hurt and nearly killed  _Virgil_ , yet Deceit never apologized for that, had he?

Virgil could only hope that the prolonged silence from Deceit was proof that Deceit was at least taking Virgil's words into consideration.   
  
 _"I do have one last question for you, before you go,"_  Deceit said, surprising Virgil.  
  
"Hmmm?" Virgil asked, grateful that he could at least do  _that_  without having to worry about the curse's effects. It wasn't a  _word_ , after all.  
  
 _"What do you think my Patronus would be, if I could cast one?"_  Deceit questioned.  
  
Virgil blinked. Of all the questions he was expecting, he wasn't expecting  _that_  one.   
  
 _Snake, of course. What else?_  Virgil responded casually. Upon glancing at Deceit, he was surprised to see his brother flinch almost imperceptibly.   
  
Huh, he hadn't expected  _that_. He'd expected Deceit to be thrilled to hear it.  
  
Deceit quickly regained his composure, however.  _"Of course,"_  He remarked, gesturing to the half of his face that was permanently altered to look like a snake.  
  
 _Patronuses can change, though,_  Virgil added.  _They don't always stay the same. And snakes aren't always bad,_  Virgil wrote, scooping both his pen and pad into his pocket and shuffling toward the door.  
  
 _"Virgil?"_  Deceit spoke up. Virgil turned back to look at him.   
  
"Hmmm?" Virgil asked.  
  
 _"I did not appreciate this conversation in the least,"_  Deceit declared.  
  
Virgil chuckled and waved to Deceit with his fingers in the shape of a peace sign before turning and heading back out to meet up with Logan in the hallway.


	21. Chapter 21

Virgil and Logan made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. Roman sent them an owl telling them to come over immediately with  _nothing_  else mentioned, leaving Virgil and Logan to wonder if it was actually something important or Roman being overly dramatic. Either way, the two wanted to update the others on recent happenings, and since Renilda and Professor Picani were both at the flat to tend to Deceit, Virgil and Logan were free to slip away for a few hours (or however long it took).  
  
Virgil strode up to the door of Roman and Patton's room and knocked. Roman pulled open the door.  _"Virgil! Logan! You got here fast!"_  He sounded almost  _surprised_  about this.  
  
 _"We are staying just down the road in Virgil's mother's flat,"_ Logan reminded him.  _"Also, your letter made this sound urgent, so I hope that is actually the case and that we have not instead been called here for something inane..."_  
  
 _"Would you call a prophecy urgent?"_  Astrit called out from behind Roman.  
  
 _"...yes, I would say that certainly qualifies,"_  Logan conceded as he and Virgil both stepped through the threshold and into the room. Roman hastily closed the door behind them.  
  
Virgil hadn't given a prophecy - that he knew of - as of late, which meant that Era had to be the culprit. His eyes searched for the Gryffindor, who he found seated in a chair next to Astrit and conversing heavily with him in Albanian. Chelsea sat a few feet away, looking as pale as could be.   
  
 _"Do you ever get used to it?"_  Chelsea muttered when she saw Logan.  _"Seeing the person you love go like_  that,  _I mean."_  
  
 _"No,"_  Logan admitted truthfully. Virgil blanched, his gaze automatically shifting downward. Logan's hand slipped into his and gave it a squeeze.  
  
 _"It doesn't get any easier seeing the person you love afflicted by something so strange and out of their control. You wish you could do something to ease it for them, but there is little that you can do - you have to merely stand by and watch,"_  Logan admitted.  
  
Oh.

 _"I want to take it on myself, just so_  she  _doesn't have to go through it,"_  Chelsea admitted in a quiet voice.  
  
 _"Same,"_  Logan replied, and Virgil immediately squeezed Logan's hand in return, a small smile creeping its way onto his features. He pulled his hand away and retrieved his pen and paper, quickly jotting out a message for the two.  _It's not super painful or anything, it's just disorienting,_  he informed them, trying to reassure them.  
  
 _"Still,"_  Logan frowned. Chelsea nodded in agreement.  
  
 _"Alright, now that we're all here, let's get down to business!"_ Roman called out.  
  
 _"To defeat...the huns..."_  Patton added with a sheepish snicker.   
  
Era and Astrit both chuckled, and even Logan held his hand to his mouth to cover his own amusement.  
  
Clearly a reference to something Muggle-related, if Virgil had to guess. He'd have to ask Logan for further details later.  
  
 _"What were the contents of the prophecy?"_  Logan inquired.  
  
 _"Lies may be truth and truth may be lies - but all will be revealed in time,"_  Astrit announced.  
  
Because  _that_  wasn't confusing at all.  
  
 _"Deceit?"_  Roman questioned, thus voicing Virgil's own concerns on the matter.  
  
 _"The prophecy makes about as much sense as some of his riddles, I must admit,"_  Logan muttered. Virgil had to agree.  
  
 _"Definitely not much to go on,"_  Patton frowned, tilting his head slightly.  
  
 _"That actually does sound like a riddle through and through,"_ Chelsea admitted.  
  
 _"Couldn't we have gotten a little more to go on?"_  Roman sighed in frustration.  
  
 _"Sorry, I'll get right on the prophecy fairies about that,"_  Era remarked with a quirked eyebrow.  
  
 _"It really doesn't say much,"_  Astrit observed.  _"Just that truth may be lies and lies may be truth. It's basically telling us not to be sure what to believe, and that's more confusing than anything else."_  
  
 _"So essentially the prophecy is just saying DANGER DANGER DANGER in red flashing letters?"_  Chelsea folded her arms across her chest.  
  
 _Couldn't that be said for just about any prophecy?_  Virgil pointed out and cleared his throat so that people would look at what he wrote, glad that he could finally contribute  _something_  to the conversation.  
  
 _"That...is a fair point, Virgil,"_  Logan looked contemplative.  
  
 _"At any rate, I think we should probably heed the prophecy's warning to be careful, especially when it comes to Deceit. Has he actually done anything to prove he's worth trusting?"_  Roman asked.  
  
 _"Not really,"_  Logan replied.  
  
 _He did help me cast a Patronus by telling me I couldn't cast one, but I think that was more because he wanted to convince us that he was a good guy than him actually being a good guy,_  Virgil confessed.  
  
 _"A snake like him will never change,"_  Roman scowled.  
  
 _"That's not true, Roman. You know it's not true! People can change! They can see the error of their ways and how they hurt others and they can improve!"_  Patton protested.  
  
 _"Patton, darling, I know you see the best in people - it's one of the things I love most about you - but I just don't know if some people_  can  _change,"_  Roman sighed.  
  
 _"They'd certainly have to want to change first,"_  Astrit reasoned.  _"And some people don't."_  
  
Virgil and Logan departed for Renilda's flat in relative silence. Virgil was deep in thought, and he could tell that Logan felt similarly. Once they arrived back home, Logan made a beeline for the bathroom, while Virgil headed directly for his room. He paused outside of Deceit's door, arching an eyebrow at what he heard within.  
  
 _"Expecto Patronum,"_  Virgil could hear Deceit hiss.  _"Expecto Patronum!"_  he repeated.  
  
Was Deceit really trying to teach himself the Patronus Charm?

It was clear that he was trying to be quiet, which meant that he probably didn't want people knowing. He probably didn't even know that Virgil and Logan were back home yet, especially if he was so intent in his practicing.

He also suspected that Deceit was struggling. There was frustrating practically dripping from Deceit's tone, and Virgil certainly knew what that was like. His hand hovered over the doorknob as he considered stepping inside, making his presence known to his older brother. Then he pulled his hand away and continued toward his room.


	22. Chapter 22

_Expecto Patronum!_  Virgil though, watching his cheetah Patronus with a slight smile as it stalked around the room. He basked in its glow, taking pleasure in the temporary respite it provided.  
  
 _"Virgil?"_  a voice called at the doorway, causing Virgil to jump.   
  
 _"Sorry V, I didn't mean to frighten you like that,"_  Renilda called out from the door. Virgil let out a sigh of relief when he realized it was his mother.  _"I don't think I've ever seen your Patronus before? It's nice,"_  Renilda remarked.  
  
Virgil shrugged.   
  
 _"A cheetah, eh? Big cats do make nice Patronuses,"_  Renilda observed.  
  
 _Who else has a big cat Patronus?_  Virgil inquired.  
  
Renilda chuckled at what her son wrote, leaving Virgil confused.  _"Me, of course. Who else would I be referring to, silly?"_  She reached out and ruffled Virgil's hair.  
  
Virgil squirmed out of her grasp, and probably would have whined 'Mooooooom' if he didn't already know that it would come out garbled. That said, the corners of his mouth twitched upward, so he clearly wasn't  _too_  bothered by it. No, he was more intrigued that his mother had a similar Patronus to his own.  
  
Well, relatively speaking.  
  
 _What's your Patronus?_  he asked her.

 _"Expecto Patronum!"_  Renilda said with a wave of her wand, and a sleek lioness joined Virgil's cheetah.  
  
 _"Your Uncle Rembrandt was so frustrated when he found out. Said he should have had the Lion Patronus because he was a Gryffindor,"_  she chuckled.  
  
 _What did he have instead?_  Virgil quickly jotted out.  
  
 _"A black bear, so it's not like he got a bad deal out of it,"_  Renilda snorted.  _"He just got annoyed because I kept calling him a big old teddy bear when I found out. Little does he realize I would have found a way to do the same thing even if he had produced a lion patronus. Obviously the teddy bear comparison wouldn't have worked but I would have thought of something."_  
  
Virgil chuckled.  _What about Aunt Helena?_  
  
 _"I didn't know her well when we were all in school, but I learned what her Patronus was more recently,"_  Renilda admitted.

 _What is it?_  Virgil pressed.  
  
 _"A chestnut mare,"_  Renilda replied.  _"Sometimes family members have similar Patronuses, but that wasn't the case with Remy. He didn't take after either of them."_  
  
 _What was his, a sloth?_  Virgil wrote in jest.  
  
 _"Russian blue cat, actually,"_  Renilda responded with a wry grin.  
  
Virgil laughed.  _I could see Remy as a cat._  
  
 _"I could too,"_  Renilda admitted. 

 _What is Professor Picani's?_  Virgil questioned.  
  
 _"Emile's? I never actually asked him,"_  Renilda confessed.  _"I'll have to do that later."_  
  
 _Did Linus have a Patronus?_  Virgil asked.  
  
Renilda's expression was stony.  _"He never cast one. He always said he struggled with Defense Against the Dark Arts...suppose that should have been my first sign."_  
  
 _Struggling with casting a Patronus doesn't mean you're bad,_ Virgil protested.  
  
 _"Awww, V, I didn't mean to suggest you were. I'm sorry,"_  Renilda put her arm around Virgil's shoulder and gave him a one armed hug.  
  
Virgil didn't have the heart to tell Renilda thar he wasn't referring to himself with that statement, but rather  _Astrit_ , who was just about the farthest from bad that he'd seen, yet still had not succeeded in his efforts to cast the Patronus Charm.  
  
That said, he was two years their junior, so perhaps it was merely due to his age.  
  
Renilda pulled away.  _"Or are you not referring to yourself? Have you heard him too?"_  She cast a glance at the door, and Virgil realized exactly who she was referring to. He nodded.  
  
Renilda sighed.  
  
 _Do you think I should help him?_  Virgil wrote.  
  
Renilda frowned, nibbling on her bottom lip in a mannerism strangely similar to Virgil himself.  _"I think that's up to you in the end. You're eighteen, I'm not going to force you to do anything, especially after everything you've been through, and I won't think any less of you if you don't do it, if that's what you're worried about."_  
  
Virgil honestly wasn't sure  _what_  he was worried about at this point, just that he was.

He did know that his talk with Renilda helped to clear his head a bit. He glanced at the clock. He figured Logan and Professor Picani would be busy for a good while. Logan planned to ask Professor Picani a few questions about psychology...but the last time Virgil checked, Logan's list was two pages long. As Virgil knew that both Logan  _and_  Professor Picani could be particularly verbose when they felt passionately about something, and this was something that they both held an interest in?   
  
Yeah. Virgil had some time to kill.  
  
He rose to his feet and made his way over to his bookshelf, grabbing a couple of Defense Against the Dark Arts books and holding them at his side while he opened the door with his free hand. He took a quick glance in the direction of the kitchen - and yep, he could still hear Logan and Professor Picani talking animatedly. He chuckled under his breath, then glanced back at the door of the spare bedroom.  
  
Deceit's bedroom.  
  
Virgil took a deep breath and rapped at the door. He could hear footsteps shuffling along the carpet on the other side of the door, and stood back slightly as Deceit pulled the door open. Deceit blinked at his brother, arching his eyebrow.  _"To what do I owe the displeasure?"_  
  
Virgil held up one of the Defense Against the Dark Arts books, hoping that Deceit would get the hint. Instead, Deceit's eyebrow arched upward even further. Clearly, Virgil was going to have to be a bit more direct - and for that he needed to use  _words_.  
  
Virgil sighed, making his way into Deceit's room and setting the books in his hands down so that he could fetch his pen and paper from his pocket.  _You're trying to practice the Patronus Charm,_  Virgil hastily scribbled.  
  
Deceit faltered for a moment, then folded his arms across his chest.  _"Whether I am or am not, what does it matter to you?"_  
  
The ball was in Virgil's court now. 


	23. Chapter 23

Virgil wondered if it would have been easier to summon the courage to  _say_  what he wanted to say to Deceit. It wasn't an option, of course, not unless Deceit possessed some way to translate the cursed speech back into something recognizable, but it was nice to imagine.  
  
Deceit cleared his throat, reminding Virgil that his brother was still awaiting a response. And the more he waited, the more annoyed he looked.  
  
(Or was it defensive?)  
  
_"This is so helpful,"_  Deceit drawled.  
  
_Do you want pointers?_  Virgil scribbled as fast as he could, ripped off of his pad, and tossed at Deceit before he could chicken out.  
  
Deceit shot him a bemused expression before bending to pick up the offending note.  _"'Do I want painters?' Oh yes, I've actually been looking for painters for a long time, how did you know?"_  
  
Oh, Virgil was  _sorely_  tempted to walk out then and there.  
  
_Pointers dumbass,_  Virgil wrote with a growl.  
  
_"Oh_  pointers _. Thank you for the clarification,"_  Deceit taunted.  
  
_You're not welcome,_  Virgil wrote, then leveled a glare at Deceit.  
  
_"In all seriousness, though..."_  Deceit held his wand out.  _"Expecto Patronum!"_  he announced. Other than traces of silvery vapor, nothing. Certainly nothing corporeal.  _"Does it look like I need pointers?"_  
  
_Oh not at all. I like your Patronus actually. What's it supposed to be? A gnat?_  Virgil wrote with a smirk.

Deceit glowered at that, which only made Virgil's smile grow. That being said, he  _had_  come to Deceit's room for a reason - and their exchange thus far didn't lend well to any hope of Virgil actually helping Deceit.  
  
_"What makes you think that you can help me anyway?"_  Deceit questioned. Virgil noticed that questions were one of the few times where Deceit neglectrd to employed his tricky way of talking. He supposed it would be challenging to get proper answers to one's questions if their conversation partner couldn't even make sense of said questions.  
  
_I've cast the Patronus Charm,_  Virgil replied. He resisted the overwhelming urge to add a 'duh' at the end.  
  
_"And that qualifies you to teach the subject, even though you only just mastered it yourself?"_  Deceit arched an eyebrow.  
  
_Nonverbally. I could cast a verbal Patronus last year,_  Virgil retorted.  
  
_"How do I know that you won't sabotage my efforts? I'm sure that you would not be overjoyed to see me fail and confirm all of your suspicions about me,"_  Deceit remarked.  
  
Deceit might as well have slapped Virgil across the face.  
  
_Excuse me?_  Virgil scribbled.  
  
_"You heard me,"_  Deceit glared.  
  
For the first time, Virgil realized that the mistrust between the two of them went both ways. Virgil did not trust Deceit, but Deceit clearly did not trust Virgil in return, if he assumed that Virgil would intentionally sabotage Deceit's efforts to cast a Patronus Charm.  
  
How would he even do that?

 _I'm not going to do that. I don't even know how I would do that even if I wanted to,_  Virgil explained.  
  
_"But you don't deny that you want to?"_  Deceit asked.  
  
_I said if I wanted to, I didn't say that I absolutely did want to. Not everyone speaks in confusing riddles like you, Deceit,_  Virgil wrote. Ugh, this would be so much easier if he could actually  _say_  what he wanted to say to Deceit.

 _"What reason could you possibly have for wanting me to succeed, when my failure would prove that you were right about me all along?"_  Deceit continued.  
  
_Maybe I don't want to be right about you,_  Virgil wrote. Deceit quirked an eyebrow upward.  
  
_I'm not obsessed with proving that you're evil. I don't want you to be evil. I want to believe that all of this is real. It's just hard to trust you after everything that's happened,_  Virgil admitted.  
  
_"Likewise,"_  Deceit replied, which Virgil interpreted to mean that Deceit felt the same way about him. He supposed that was fair. Virgil certainly hadn't done anything on par with what Deceit had done, but what reason  _did_  Deceit have to trust Virgil? They were brothers, yes, but their relationship was always rocky. If Virgil were in Deceit's shoes and Deceit were offering to help him, he'd be just as suspicious as Deceit was of an ulterior motive.  
  
In fact, Deceit  _did_  offer to help Virgil in the past, by taking him under his wing and including him in the Dark Sides, under the pretense that he wouldn't be accepted anywhere else. He was, of course, but it took him years to learn this.  
  
It was almost comically ironic that Deceit was now afraid of Virgil utilizing the same methods he used against Virgil back on Deceit himself, but...he could certainly understand where it was coming from, at any rate?  
  
_What memories are you using?_  Virgil asked.  
  
Deceit let out a derisive snort.  _"Like that's any of your business."_  
  
Virgil shrugged.  _Suit yourself,_  he wrote.  _"But just keep in mind that you're supposed to use your happiest memories. So think of the moments when you were happiest in your life and go from there."_  
  
_"Yes, because I have not read up on the subject at all,"_  Deceit said with a roll of his eyes.  
  
But Virgil could tell that Deceit was contemplating his words.

 _Well I have a couple more books if you want to keep reading,_ Virgil jotted out before gesturing to the books that he'd set down earlier so that he could retrieve his pen and pad in the first place.  
  
_"I won't look at them at all,"_  Deceit retorted. Judging from the stubborn expression on his face, this wasn't word play - he meant what he said.  
  
Or perhaps Deceit was merely trying to convince  _himself_  that he was.  
  
_I'll head back to my room now,_  Virgil replied, making his way toward the door.  
  
_"Whatever,"_  Deceit responded.  
  
_I know I brought a couple of books in her with me, but I can't seem to find them. Maybe I'll find them the next time I pop in?_ Virgil wrote with the slightest of smirks as he closed his pad and stashed his pen and paper back in his pocket.  
  
_"You're not being obvious in the least,"_  Deceit remarked with a snort.  
  
Virgil let out a chuckle as he slipped out of Deceit's room.  
  
That...could have gone worse. It certainly could have gone  _better_ , but at least it was  _something_.


	24. Chapter 24

Virgil and Logan were surprised when Patton turned up, wishing to talk with them. Patton,  _alone_  - as in without Roman.  
  
That already set up alarm bells.  
  
_"Where's Roman?"_  Logan inquired with what Virgil felt was not  _nearly_  enough urgency in his voice.  
  
_"He's talking with Astrit about Quidditch. I guess Astrit wants to try out for Gryffindor Team Captain when he goes back to Hogwarts next year and was wondering if Roman had any pointers! I didn't think it was right for a Hufflepuff to be there for a discussion about the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, so I came here instead!"_  Patton smiled.  
  
_"I see. Why don't you step inside?"_  Logan gestured for Patton to come into the flat.  
  
As soon as the door closed, Virgil turned to Patton. He pulled his writing utensils out of his pocket and immediately set to work on his message.  _What's really going on, Pat?_  
  
Patton looked taken aback.  _"I told you, Roman's talking with Astrit..."_  
  
_Maybe he is, but there's still something going on. You seem nervous,_  Virgil replied.  
  
Patton frowned, looking unsure of what to say or do next.  
  
_"Did you come here for a reason other than casual amusement?"_ Logan questioned.  
  
Patton seemed to shrink in on himself slightly.  _"I shouldn't have even come to you guys, I shouldn't be doing anything behind his back, I should just talk to him, but I'm worried and he doesn't seem to want to talk about it!"_  
  
Patton blurted all of this out so fast that it took Virgil a moment to process everything. Judging from the ensuing silence, Logan felt the same way.

One thing remained certain in Virgil's mind - something was wrong, or at the very least  _Patton_  thought something was wrong. And if Patton thought something was wrong, it was worth hearing him out.  
  
_"Perhaps you should talk to him about this rather than us, if it concerns him?"_  Logan suggested.  
  
_"I tried! He said it's not a big thing, but it feels like a big thing, and it feels like its bothering him, and I don't like to see him unhappy..."_  Patton's voice trembled as he spoke, and Virgil and Logan exchanged glances.  
  
_"The first thing you need to do is sit down. I'll fetch you something to drink. Virgil will keep you company while I do this,"_ Logan explained, then departed for the kitchen.  
  
Virgil immediately understood that Logan was giving him the opportunity to talk to Patton on his own, an opportunity he might struggle with otherwise as he had to  _write_  to get any of his points across, and was grateful toward his boyfriend.  
  
He turned to Patton and immediately began to inscribe a message for his best friend.  _What's going on with Roman?_  he began with.

Patton shuffled in his seat.  
  
 _I know you don't want to feel like you're betray him, but if you're worried about him it's obviously something serious,_  Virgil continued.  
  
 _"He received a letter recently,"_  Patton confessed.  
  
Virgil opted to arch an eyebrow to urge Patton to continue rather than write out his response.  
  
Patton correctly interpreted this signal and went on.  _"He said it was from someone in his past, but he didn't want me to know who it was. He didn't want to upset me."_  
  
 _"Someone in his family, perhaps?"_  Logan theorized as he entered back into the room, carrying three mugs of hot chocolate on a tray. He set the tray down on the coffee table and gestured for Virgil and Patton to take their mugs before grabbing his own.  
  
 _"But they disowned him,"_  Patton protested.  
  
 _So did Linus, and we all see how that went,_  Virgil wrote.  
  
 _"It could be his family, but who?"_  Logan frowned, folding his arms across his chest as a deeply contemplative expression crossed his fingers.  
  
Patton's eyes went wide.  _"Phillip."_  
  
 _"Phillip?"_  Logan repeated.  
  
 _"Phillip. It fits perfectly! His parents disowned him, so it doesn't make sense that they would try to get ahold of him, but Phillip is his brother!"_  Patton declared.  
  
 _"Doesn't mean Phillip would try to get ahold of him,"_  noted Logan in a skeptical tone.  _"He seemed pretty in line with his parents' views the last I checked."_  
  
 _"So did Deceit, and look at him now,"_  Patton countered.  
  
 _"We still don't know if we can trust Deceit!"_  Logan retorted.  
  
Virgil cleared his throat loudly, causing both Patton and Logan to glance in his direction.  _Whether we can trust Deceit or not, he's the one person who might have some answers about Phillip._  
  
 _"So what, you're suggesting we ask Deceit about Phillip?"_  Logan scoffed.  _"In case you haven't noticed, we're rarely able to get a straightforward answer from him. Regardless whether he's truly on our so-called 'side' or not, he's hardly a good source of information."_  
  
 _"What other option do we have, though? Who else could it be besides Phillip?"_  Patton asked dejectedly.

 _"You called?"_  Deceit's voice rang out. Patton and Logan jumped, while Virgil glared.  
  
 _"Hi Deceit!"_  Patton called out with a smile.  
  
 _"Careful, wouldn't want my mother hearing you call me that,"_ Deceit said warningly.  
  
 _"It's your own nickname for yourself,"_  Logan retorted, rolling his eyes.  
  
 _Do you know where Phillip is?_  Virgil jotted down and showed to his brother.  
  
 _"And why on Earth would I know where Phillip Prince is located?"_ Deceit arched a brow.  
  
 _"You sure seemed to be on good terms with him when you were at Hogwarts,"_  Logan pointed out.  
  
 _"You went to Azkaban together!"_  Patton mentioned cheerfully.  
  
 _You broke out of Azkaban together,_  Virgil added with a snort.  
  
 _"I wouldn't have the faintest clue where Phillip is located,"_  Deceit taunted.  
  
Patton looked disappointed. Virgil and Logan, however, exchanged knowing looks before staring back at Deceit.  _"That means you do have some clue,"_  Logan said flatly.   
  
 _"And if I did, why would I tell you?"_  Deceit teased.  
  
Sadly, none of them could really provide a good retort to that..

 _"Would Phillip have any reason to contact Roman?"_  Patton asked.  
  
Deceit shrugged.  _"Not my business. I'm sure I'm the best person you could ask about this, not someone like Roman himself."_  
  
Ultimately, Deceit was correct. If they wanted answers, they would have to talk to Roman himself. But would Roman be willing to talk?


	25. Chapter 25

Virgil, Logan, and Patton set off for the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
_"Sure you don't wanna come?"_  Patton asked Deceit in a casual tone. Logan gaped, while Virgil braced himself for...something. What that something  _was_ , Virgil wasn't entirely sure, but he certainly wasn't expecting the response he did receive.  
  
Namely, Deceit guzzling down a flask full of liquid right in front of their very eyes and shifting into one of their friends. This time, it was  _Shane_.  
  
_For someone who gets angry at his own brother for thinking he might be evil, you sure play up the evil aesthetic,_  Virgil wrote with a snarky smirk.  
  
Deceit shrugged.  _"Not like I have a reputation to maintain. Now, shall we?"_  Deceit gestured toward the door with a haughty expression - and Virgil realized that he was going to have a hard time getting used to Deceit's mannerisms and expressions on Shane's face. It felt particularly sketchy in light of one of Deceit's cursed objects actually  _cursing_  Shane two years before - but Virgil did have to admit that he preferred to keep an eye on Deceit while they tried to figure this out, and that Deceit's unexpected use of Polyjuice was probably the best way to do so.  
  
Wait a moment...  
  
Virgil's eyes blew wide. If Deceit had Polyjuice Potion, he could have disguised himself as any of them at any point. Had he talked to his mother, or his boyfriend, or Professor Picani, thinking they were who they said they were, and it turned out to be Deceit? Could he trust  _anything_?   
  
Then again, he reasoned, in most of those instances Deceit either made his presence known as  _himself_ , or Virgil caught enough of a glimpse of him to know retroactively that he'd had a conversation with someone who was  _not_  actually Deceit.  
  
Whew.  
  
Logan looked ready to protest, but let out a long sigh.  _"To the Leaky Cauldron, then."_  
  
The four ventured down the road. Virgil didn't know what to expect when they got there. Obviously they needed to talk to Roman, but getting Roman to talk during one of those rare spells when Roman did not actually want to talk would be a task and a half.

 _"Bet it feels nice to get out of the house for a change!"_  Patton told Deceit in a cheerful voice.  
  
_"Not at all,"_  Deceit replied - but he could not  _entirely_  disguise the smile that worked it's way onto his face.  
  
_"I imagine it's still a bit nervewracking, knowing that one false move could land him back in Azkaban,"_  Logan remarked.  
  
_"Logan!"_  Patton scolded.  
  
_"What? I told the truth, unlike someone else we know,"_  Logan retorted.   
  
Virgil was mildly surprised to see just how much vitriol Logan directed toward Deceit. He didn't trust Deceit either, of course, but Logan was being even more stubborn than Virgil.  
  
Once they arrived, Patton knocked on the door to Era and Astrit's room. Era pulled the door open, hastily stepping aside so that the four of them could filter in.  
  
_"Shane?"_  Era blinked in surprise when she saw Deceit.  
  
_"Hey,"_  Deceit waved.  
  
_"Yeah, that's not Shane,"_  Logan mentioned.  
  
_"Spoilsport,"_  Deceit hissed.  
  
_"...please tell me that's not who I think it is,"_  Chelsea groaned.  
  
_A Polyjuiced Deceit? Yup,_  Virgil wrote.  
  
_"Why would you bring a Polyjuiced Deceit here?"_  Era gaped.  
  
_"I just needed some fresh air and they kindly obliged,"_  Deceit replied.  
  
_"...and the Queen of England is staying down the hall,"_  Chelsea retorted.  
  
_"She is? I didn't see her come in!"_  Patton gasped.  
  
_"It's sarcasm, Patton,"_  Logan clarified.  
  
_"I knew that,"_  Patton smiled sheepishly. Virgil couldn't tell whether Patton was joking or not, but it helped to lighten the atmosphere either way.  
  
_"Anyway, where are Roman and Astrit? We wanted to talk to Roman,"_  Patton piped up suddenly.  
  
_Not all of us at once. Roman will flip,_  Virgil noted.  
  
_"Well, no, but..."_  Patton began, but was quickly interrupted.  
  
_"Did I hear you say you were looking for Roman?"_  Astrit asked, slipping out into the open.  
  
_"Yup! Are you done talking to him?"_  Patton tilted his head slightly.  
  
Astrit nodded.  _"If you're looking for him you won't find him here, though. He left about ten minutes ago. Said he was gonna meet with someone. I assumed it was you guys?"_  
  
_"Uh-oh,"_  Deceit said with a smirk.  
  
_"If he's not with you guys, who could he have gone to meet?"_ Chelsea frowned.

 _"Phillip, of course! Who else would he have gone to meet?"_ Patton suggested.  
  
Virgil didn't want to consider it, but now that they idea presented itself in his mind, he felt as though he  _had_  to tell them.  _There is one other option..._  he jotted down, clearing his throat to draw the others' attention toward him.  
  
\------------------------------------  
  
Roman frowned as he glanced at his watch.   
  
 _Everyone deserves a second chance, Roman,_  a voice said in the back of his head, sounding suspiciously like Patton.  
  
He really  _wanted_  to give a second chance. This was someone he'd spend his childhood with, someone he'd been on not so great terms with as of late...but it sounded like things might be about to change.  
  
Then again, 'not so great' was the understatement of the century.  
  
He would have told his friends, but he wasn't certain that they would understand, nor did he want to get them involved. This was his issue to work out and his issue alone.   
  
He glanced down at the letter in his hands once more, making sure that he had the right place. He heard the telltale sound of someone clearing their throat behind him, and looked toward the source of the noise.

 _"Delilah,"_  he gasped.  _"You've grown up."_  
  
Delilah held her hand over her mouth as she chuckled.  _"Its good to see you too, Roman. I'm glad you were able to meet with me on such short notice...we have a lot to catch up on!"_  
  
 _"That we do,"_  Roman agreed. He motioned for Delilah to take a seat so that they could get started.  
  
He sent a tentative smile in Delilah's direction, a gesture Delilah proceeded to return.


	26. Chapter 26

_Do you remember that conversation we had just before I was cursed, Logan?_  Virgil asked.  
  
Logan frowned.  _"You may have to remind me of some of its details."_  
  
 _Roman and I talked, and I mentioned that Roman had a secret,_ Virgil continued.  
  
 _"Ah yes, and I suggested that you honor your promise to Roman, unless honoring your promise put Roman or any of the rest of us in danger,"_  Logan summarized.  
  
 _Roman might be in danger,_  Virgil argued, not sure whether he was trying to justify this to Logan or to  _himself_.  
  
 _"A secret? Why wouldn't he tell me? Why would he be in danger?"_ Patton glanced back and forth between Virgil and Logan.  
  
 _"Gotta admit we're curious too,"_  Era piped up.  
  
As if  _that_  didn't make him even more nervous.   
  
 _I should have thought of it sooner, when Patton mentioned that Roman was receiving letters from someone in his past. We all assumed it was Phillip, and it might be Phillip, but what if it's not?_  Virgil scribbled in increasingly frantic scrawl.  
  
 _"And what if it is and we let ourselves get distracted?"_  Chelsea postulated.  
  
 _"Doesn't matter, we're still going to look for him either way,"_ Logan reasoned.  
  
 _"Why do you think Roman might be in danger, Virgil?"_  Astrit questioned.   
  
 _If it's Phillip, he probably wants revenge. If it's this other person, I'm not sure,_  Virgil admitted.  
  
 _"Well that's incredibly helpful,"_  Era said with a roll of her eyes.  
  
 _Her name's Delilah,_  Virgil jotted down at last, waiting with bated breath for the reactions from the others.

 _"...her?"_  Logan blinked in utter shock.  
  
 _"Her?"_  Patton gasped.  
  
 _"Oh this isn't entertaining in the least,"_  Deceit observed with a chuckle.   
  
 _"Oh shut up,"_  Chelsea cast a glare in his direction.  
  
 Deceit let out another chuckle at that.  
  
 _Roman was betrothed to her when they were younger,_  Virgil admitted, his writing growing somewhat shaky. He questioned himself - why was he doing this? Was it worth the risk? Roman might not even be in danger at all, and here he was revealing all of Roman's secrets. Would he be angry with Virgil, regardless of whether or not he actually was in danger? Should he just shut his mouth now and not say anything further?  
  
...not that that would do much, given he was sharing all of this information with his friends via pad and paper.  
  
 _"Roman never told me about that!"_  Patton protested. Virgil felt a rush of guilt when he heard the slight hint of disappointment in Patton's tone.  _"I...I don't get...why didn't he tell me?"_  
  
 _"Probably because Virgil's the only other one here who comes from a pureblood extremist family,"_  Era noted.  _"He probably wanted to discuss it with someone who he thought would understand before he shared it with anyone else. It's what I'd do,"_ she shrugged.  
  
 _"I still don't get how that puts Roman in danger, though!"_  Patton blurted out.  
  
 _Delilah's not a nice person,_  Virgil revealed.  
  
 _"Did you say you weren't judgmental?"_  Deceit raised an eyebrow skeptically.  _"Cause that doesn't sound judgmental in the least. What must you be saying about me?"_  
  
 _"Now is not the time,"_  Logan snapped. Deceit actually looked mildly surprised.  
  
 _Roman figured out what marriage meant and told her that he didn't want to marry her. She told his parents,_  Virgil wrote.  
  
 _"...she outed him to his parents?"_  Astrit gasped.  
  
 _"And since Roman and this girl were betrothed by their families, I think it is thereby reasonable to assume that she is affiliated with the Council in some way,"_  Logan deduced.

 _"What can you tell us about this girl?"_  Chelsea turned to Deceit, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
 _"Excuse me?"_  Deceit looked genuinely affronted.  
  
 _"She's in the Council, you are - or at least were - in the Council, so what can you tell us about her?"_  Chelsea narrowed her eyes.  _"Or do you not want to tell us about her because you're secretly working with her?"_  
  
 _He might not know her,_  Virgil wrote, clearing his throat to attract Chelsea's attention so that she could read what she wrote.  _She attended Durmstrang, so she probably wasn't in Britain much once she started school._  
  
 _"What is she doing back here now?"_  Astrit wondered.  
  
 _"Durmstrang might be on a break? And she'd be 17 or 18, so she'd be old enough to get her Apparation license I'd assume,"_ Era suggested.  
  
 _"Oh Roman, where did you go?"_  Patton wondered out loud, worry seeping into his tone.  
  
\---------------------------  
  
 _"I missed you,"_  Delilah said with a smile.  
  
 _"I missed you too,"_  he admitted truthfully.  
  
 _"We didn't exactly part on the best terms, did we?"_  Delilah stirred her drink with a straw.  
  
 _"No, we did not,"_  Roman agreed, his voice more harsh this time.  
  
Delilah blew a stray piece of hair out of her face before letting out a sigh.  _"It's my fault."_  
  
Roman blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

It  _was_  her fault, but the fact that she was willing to so openly admit that...some of his old fondness for her began to return.  
  
 _"I shouldn't have told your parents, that wasn't right of me. I'm sorry for doing that. I hope they weren't too harsh on you,"_ Delilah continued.   
  
Roman let out a snort. Delilah had the sense to look ashamed.  _"I take it they were, then."_  
  
 _"Ohhhh yeah,"_  Roman confirmed.  
  
 _"I'm sorry I did that to you. I was young and stupid. I hope you can forgive me?"_  Delilah  _did_  look as if she were truly sorry for what she put Roman through. And didn't Patton just tell him that he ought to give people the benefit of the doubt? This was his childhood best friend. She'd been by him through thick and thin until...  
  
...until she ruined it. But she was sorry for that! She knew she'd done wrong and was taking the time to apologize for that!  
  
The corners of Roman's mouth turned upward.  _"I do forgive you."_


	27. Chapter 27

Virgil and the others weren't sure where to look for Roman, so they set to work looking through his and Patton's room.  
  
_"If he was in contact with her, he may have some of her letters here. From there, we may be able to determine where they were planning to meet,"_  Logan explained.  
  
With 6 of them (7 once Deceit grew bored of standing around and opted to join in because 'he had better things to do',which Virgil took to actually mean that he did  _not_  have anything better to do), they made quick work of looking through the room.  
  
_"I think I found something!"_  Chelsea called out, waving them over to the dresser.   
  
The remaining 6 made their way across the room, unsure of what they might find.  
  
\-----------------  
  
_"Great!"_  Delilah said with a smile.  _"Then we can start getting ready!"_  
  
_"Ready? Ready for what?"_  Roman stared back in confusion.

 _"For what comes after this!"_  Delilah replied.  
  
That didn't help Roman to further elucidate anything, but Delilah seemed pleased at least.  
  
_"I should introduce you to my friends after this!"_  Roman announced.  
  
Delilah grinned.  _"That would be great! I'd introduce you to my friends but a lot of them are on vacation."_  She sounded faintly disappointed at that.   
  
_"I'd love to meet them some time,"_  Roman smiled. The two walked out of the restaurant and headed down the street.  
  
_"I'm sure you will. If not in the next few months, I'm sure they'll see you at the wedding,"_  Delilah said with a light shrug.  
  
Roman felt as if all of the blood in his veins froze at once.  _"Wedding?"_  
  
_"Well duh,"_  Delilah simpered.  _"Now that we've made up we can go forward with the wedding!"_  
  
_"We?"_  Roman stared.  
  
_"Well of course...we've been destined for it since our childhood! The prince to my princess!"_ Delilah was positively beaming, even doing a little spin as she walked.  
  
Roman felt like throwing up.  _"That's not..."_  
  
Delilah blinked in clear confusion.  _"That's not what? We talked and we repaired the rift between us!"_  
  
_"I'm already with someone,"_  Roman insisted.  
  
Delilah's smile fell slightly at that, though she bounced back almost immediately.  _"Oh...well, let me know when you break up with her."_  
  
Roman stopped walking.  _"You know what? Nevermind. This was a stupid idea on my part. Thank you for meeting with me, Delilah, but I think I need to go back to my friends now."_  
  
_"I thought that's what we were doing?"_  Delilah questioned.  
  
_"Not we, I. As in myself, alone,"_  Roman clarified.  
  
_"...oh,"_  Delilah looked to be at an utter loss for words.  _"I...suppose they can meet your future wife at another time?"_  
  
_"You're not my future wife,"_  Roman blurted out.  
  
Delilah looked as if she'd been slapped across the face. She even reeled backward, as if it were a physical blow as opposed to a verbal one.

 _"Of course we are, Roman. It was decided when we were children,"_  Delilah said with a forced sounding giggle.  
  
_"No, we're not. And if you don't mind...no, actually, I don't care if you mind or not, I'm going back to my friends,"_  Roman went to Apparate.  
  
_"Wait!"_  Delilah shouted. Roman, probably against his better judgment, acquiesced.   
  
_"I'm sorry, it's just...I've been waiting for this for a long time. I didn't give you time to adjust or get your affairs in order as I probably should have-"_  
  
_"It's not about that,"_  Roman cut in.  
  
Delilah blinked.  _"It's not?"_  
  
Roman shook his head.  _"As I said, I'm already seeing someone."_  
  
_"And I'll give you some time to break up with her-"_  
  
_"Him,"_  Roman corrected.  
  
_"...him?"_  Delilah stared.  _"I thought...you haven't grown out of that phase yet?"_  
  
Roman's eyes narrowed at once.  _"Phase?"_  
  
_"Well, yeah! That's what this whole thing is, right?"_  Delilah held a hand over her mouth as she snickered.  
  
_"...get out of my sight,"_  Roman glared.  
  
Delilah actually had the nerve to look affronted at that.  _"Excuse me?"_  
  
_"I said get out of my sight. I thought perhaps you'd changed, that you'd seen the error of your ways. Clearly you have not. Clearly you will never accept me for who I really am if you think this is all a 'phase'. And if that is the case, I do not want to have anything to do with you. I will say I appreciate this opportunity for closure, but I think we're done here,"_  Roman growled.  
  
\--------------------------------

 

 

_"What did you find?"_  Astrit asked curiously.

_"It looks like a piece of paper that fell behind the dresser,"_  Chelsea replied.

_"Oh yes, we have no reason to doubt that this piece of paper is going to help us. There is no way it could be anything other than one of the letters, right?"_  Deceit taunted.

_"I don't see you finding anything better,"_  Chelsea snapped back. She reached for the paper, taking it into her hands and unfolding it.

_"Well?"_  Patton asked somewhat impatiently.

Chelsea was silent for an agonizing moment as she read through the letter. She let out a slight gasp.

_"It would certainly help if the rest of us could see what's going on,"_  Logan remarked.

_"Its one of the letters,"_  Chelsea confirmed.  _"And if we wanna get to where they agreed to meet, we better get Apparating,"_  Chelsea replied.

_"Apparating? Is it somewhere far away?"_  Era wondered.

_"Depends on your definition of far away. Would you consider Wales to be far away?"_  Chelsea asked with a wry grin.

_"Far enough away that we won't get there in time unless we Apparate,"_  Astrit deduced.

_"What are they doing in Wales?"_  Patton wondered.  _"And where are they in Wales?"_

_"Absym Alley,"_  Chelsea replied.

_"Oh, I know of Abysm Alley. It's similar to Diagon Alley and located in Cardiff,"_  Logan explained. 

_"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"_  Patton blurted out. 

Virgil blanched. They'd have to Apparate for it to be worth the trip, but Virgil never obtained his Apparation license, and the only time he Apparated with anyone was with Linus when he was under Linus' enchantments.

Needless to say, he wasn't too keen on the idea.

_"You can Apparate with me,"_ Era assured Astrit.

_"I Apparated on my own once,"_  Astrit countered.

_"Still, you don't have a license. And that was only one time,"_  Era argued back. 

_"You can travel with me,"_  Logan said from behind Virgil.

Virgil jolted slightly in his surprise, but calmed a little once he saw Logan holding his hand out for him to take. 

He still wasn't a fan of the idea by any means, but if they wished to talk to Roman, to stop Roman from doing something he regretted, he had to do it. Virgil took Logan's hand and gave him a nod.


	28. Chapter 28

Virgil held Logan's hand as tight as he could. He didn't want to risk the chance of his hand slipping during their Apparation. He didn't even know  _what_  would happen then, but he didn't want to find out.  
  
He took a quick glance around the room. Astrit clearly went along with his sister's request to join her for Side-Along Apparition rather than try Apparating again himself, as he was holding his sister's hand in much the same fashion that Virgil was holding Logan's.   
  
 _"Is everyone ready?"_  Logan called out.  
  
Assorted affirmations rung out across the room.   
  
 _"Let us commence, then,"_  Logan announced.  
  
Virgil closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in order to steel himself for what was about to come.  
  
This time, it was Logan's hand that tightened within his own.  
  
He felt the all too familiar sensation of being squeezed into a tube...  
  
\----------------------------------  
  
 _"No,"_  Delilah responded to Roman's assertion that he was leaving.  
  
 _"I don't believe that's up to you,"_  Roman sneered.  _"I have no desire to stay here."_  
  
 _"No...I suppose you don't. It's too bad, I always thought..."_  Delilah let out a trembling sigh.  _"I suppose I have to accept it, don't I? It's really over."_  
  
 _"Sorry,"_  Roman replied, though it felt like an empty apology, something to say just to add to the conversation. He sighed and turned to Apparate once more.  
  
 _"Petrificus Totalus!"_  Delilah shouted, catching Roman off guard. He was unable to dodge or throw up a shield charm in time to repel the curse, leaving him to face the full brunt of it. His arms immediately snapped to his sides and he fell over, face first onto the ground.  
  
 _"You really thought I was just going to let you go after everything? Sorry not sorry!"_  Delilah called out to him. She presumably pointed her wand at him once more, as she called out another incantation.  _"Levicorpus!"_  
  
Roman soared into the air, floating a couple of feet above the ground. He could see the pleased look on Delilah's face, and met it with a glare. There was little else that he could do, owing to the effects of the Body Bind Curse, but he could...  
  
...wait, he  _could_  do something under the effects of the Body Bind Curse.  _Incendio!_  he thought, watching as the bottom of Delilah's robes caught on fire.  
  
She let out a yelp and immediately pointed her wand at the bottom of her robes.  _"Aguamenti!"_  she shouted, and a jet of water came out of the end of her wand and sprayed at the bottom of her robes, immediately putting the flames out. Her gaze shifted back upward toward Roman and she narrowed her eyes.  
  
 _"Stupefy!"_  she incanted.  
  
 _Protego!_  Roman thought, casting a non-verbal shield charm that Delilah's Stunning Spell was unable to penetrate.  
  
Delilah snarled, clearly displeased that Roman was still keeping up with her in a duel despite the fact that he was still under the full effects of a Body Bind Curse.  _"Confundus!"_  she screamed.  
  
 _Protego!_  Roman thought once more, able to move his face just enough so that Delilah could see the tauntingly triumphant smirk make its way across his features.  
  
Several cracks echoed through the alley at once as his friends began to appear one by one. Roman's grin only grew.  
  
A mistake on his part. Delilah immediately seized Roman by the hand. Roman, still under the effects of the Full Body Bind, remained unable to jerk away, and was so surprised by this sudden motion that he didn't have time to counter with a nonverbal spell. Delilah disapparated away with Roman, just before a Stunning Spell from Era would have struck her.  
  
Leaving seven devastated friends standing in Abysm Alley in their wake.  
  
 _"We were too late,"_  Patton trembled.  _"We were too late."_  Tears began to make their way down his face. Virgil pulled him in for an embrace at once.   
  
 _"I'm sure this went entirely as planned,"_  Deceit drawled. By now, he'd shifted back to his ordinary facial features as opposed to Shane's.  
  
 _"Now is_  not  _the time,"_  Logan snarled, brandishing his wand toward Deceit.  
  
 _"It's not the time for that either!"_  Astrit blurted out.  _"We're not gonna get any closer to finding Roman by arguing among ourselves!"_  
  
 _"How do we know he didn't sabotage us? How do we know that he wasn't working with Delilah all along?"_  Logan refused to drop his wand.  
  
 _"You...you don't,"_  Astrit admitted.  
  
 _"Precisely,"_  Logan retorted.  
  
 _"Guys, p-please stop fighting. R-Roman's in d-danger,"_  Patton stammered from Virgil's arms. Virgil glanced down at him in concern.  
  
 _"Pat's right. We can worry about who's responsible later, we have to figure out where Roman went now,"_  Era agreed.  
  
 _"He could be anywhere in the world!"_  Chelsea protested.  _"How are we supposed to narrow it down?"_  
  
 _"I'm not at all surprised that none of you have stopped to consider the obvious,"_  Deceit said with a roll of his eyes.  
  
 _"Just what is that supposed to mean?"_  Logan hissed through clenched teeth. Virgil could not blame Logan for being upset - not only did he harbor a strong (though valid) mistrust toward Deceit, but Deceit was suggesting that  _Logan Dicax_  overlooked something obvious, when Logan prided himself on being particularly observant.  
  
 _"Delilah would not have Apparated somewhere familiar to her,"_ Deceit continued.  
  
 _"So we look anywhere that Delilah hasn't gone? That's probably 90% of the world, if not more,"_  Era folded her arms across her chest.  
  
 _"No...it's one of Deceit's verbal tricks again. He's saying that Delilah would have gone somewhere familiar, especially in a rush like that. It's much easier to Apparate to somewhere you've been before, because you can get a clearer picture of where you're going. It's why it took us so long to get here - none of us have ever been here before,"_  Chelsea realized.  
  
 _"That's not what I said at all,"_  Deceit retorted, but he was smirking, which was as good an indication as any that Chelsea's interpretation was correct.  
  
 _"That still leaves us with a large number of possible destinations,"_  Logan observed.  _"How are we supposed to settle on one?"_  
  
 _"How many of those places hasn't she been with Roman?"_ Deceit answered back.  
  
Virgil still held Patton tightly within his arms. Thus, he was surprised when Patton suddenly jerked up and he had to back out of the way. Virgil stared at him in abject surprise.  
  
 _"Sorry Virge,"_  Patton hastily apologized, then glanced around.  _"I think I know where she went!"_  
  
 _"You do?"_  Chelsea blinked in surprise.  
  
 _"Yes! She was with Roman and she went some place familiar! Where's the place she's probably spent the most time with Roman?"_  Patton asked.  
  
Virgil's eyes widened as it struck him, and judging by the looks on his friends' faces, he clearly wasn't the only one.  
  
The Prince home. Delilah took Roman to the Prince home. 


	29. Chapter 29

* * *

_"Can we go any length of time without one of us getting kidnapped? I wouldn't think it would be too much to ask,"_  Era muttered.  
  
_"Well, what are we waiting for? To the Prince house!"_  Patton called out, then prepared to Apparate.  
  
_"Wait!"_  Logan shouted.  
  
_"Wait? But every minute we wait, Roman might be in more danger!"_  Patton pleaded.  
  
_"If we go without a plan, we might be in danger too,"_  Logan pointed out.  
  
_They tried to kill you last time, Pat,_  Virgil wrote on his pad, now that the threat was no longer present and he could retrieve it.  _They thought they did kill you. I don't think any of us want that to happen again._  
  
_"But what if they try to kill Roman before we get there? What if they do kill Roman before we get there?"_  Patton worried.

 _"We don't even know if his parents are home. For all we know, Delilah might have taken Roman to an empty house,"_  Era pointed out.  
  
_"There's a lot of what ifs we have to take into consideration,"_ Logan agreed.  
  
_"There are seven of us, though,"_  Astrit observed.  _"We need to use our numbers to our advantage."_  
  
_Unless they call in reinforcements,_  Virgil wrote.  _Then we're screwed._  
  
_"Not necessarily. Our fate is still dependent on the circumstances we encounter. We may lose even if we outnumber them, and we may win even if they outnumber us,"_ Logan remarked.  
  
Virgil wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.  
  
No matter how much they planned, there was still a lot left up to chance. They'd barely escaped last time, and that was only because the Princes cut their losses and fled. He didn't think they would be so lucky this time around, not if the battle took place at the Prince family home.  
  
\-----------------  
  
Roman awoke in his bedroom. He yawned and started to roll back over, intent on getting a few more minutes of rest before starting his day.  
  
That is, until he recalled that he hadn't seen the inside of this bedroom for over a year.  
  
Roman sat up at once. This was the Prince home. He thought he'd never step foot in this place again. His parents wouldn't want him here, nor did he want to be here himself.  
  
So why was he here?  
  
_"Wake up sleeping beauty!"_  Delilah called out in a sing song voice.  
  
_Delilah._  
  
_"What are we doing at my parents' home?"_  Roman snarled.  
  
_"What do you mean? You're clearly injured, I thought you it would do you some good to come home and rest!"_  Delilah explained in a cheerful voice.  
  
Too cheerful.  
  
_"Why am I at my parents' home?"_  Roman repeated.  
  
Delilah let out a sigh and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face.  _"Well, my original idea was for the two of us to run away together, but you put a damper on those plans."_  
  
_"I have no intent to marry you,"_  Roman asserted.  _"You cannot force me to."_  Roman's stomach lurched as he considered the possibilities. What Linus did to Virgil was proof positive that those associated with the Council had no qualms forcing others to do something against their will. Would Delilah cast the Imperius Curse? Use Amortentia? Use Memory Charms such as the ones used on Virgil by Linus?  
  
_"I know,"_  Delilah said with a slight shrug.  _"I have no intent to. I'm insulted that you would even suggest such a thing."_  
  
She looked more amused that insulted, but Roman wasn't exactly in the best position to argue.  
  
_"Not that I didn't consider it,"_  Delilah continued, and Roman scoffed.  _"That would hardly be romantic, would it?"_  she let out a wistful sigh.  
  
_"Not in the least,"_  Roman agreed.

 _"So I figured if we weren't going to run away together, you weren't going to run away at all,"_  Delilah explained.  
  
_"So basically...if you can't have me, no one else can?"_  Roman arched an eyebrow.  
  
Delilah smiled.  _"Now you're getting it!"_  
  
Roman huffed. He hated how easily he'd been taken in by Delilah.  
  
Then again, it was hardly his fault. It might have been foolish to meet with Delilah on his own, but he was giving the benefit of the doubt to someone who was his best friend for  _years_ growing up. It was Delilah who manipulated his fondness for her as his childhood best friend only to betray him.

 _"So what do you plan to do with me now that you have me?"_ Roman asked in a tired voice. His imagination was already running wild with possibilities. Would he be tortured? Turned over to the Council? Killed?  
  
Delilah giggled.   
  
_"Me? I'm not going to do anything to you,"_  she informed him, continuing to smile.  
  
_"Then what was the point of taking me?"_  Roman glared.  
  
_"Oh Roman, I never said that nothing was going to happen to you, only that I wasn't going to do anything. I'd prefer not to get my hands dirty. But I know someone who does! He says he has a score to settle with you!"_  Delilah taunted.

 _"All of this because I show no interest in marrying you?"_  Roman scoffed.  _"It all seems rather petty, don't you think?"_  
  
Delilah gave a nonchalant shrug.  _"Maybe, but I'm still sitting pretty so I can't say I care all that much. Like I said, I was going to run away with you, but...I don't want to now, so you'll have to suffer the consequences of my turning you over to your family."_  
  
How could he have  _ever_  thought she saw the error of her ways? She'd only grown worse with age!  
  
 _"Delilah?"_  a familiar voice asked at the door.  
  
 _"Oh, there you are! Right on time! I was just talking to your little brother! I know you said you had a few things to discuss with him yourself,"_  Delilah stepped aside and gestured for the young man at the door to step inside.  
  
 _"Roman, how nice it is to see you again,"_  Phillip greeted him as he walked through the door.   
  
 _"Phillip,"_  Roman kept a close eye on his brother, not trusting him any more than he trusted Delilah - which was to say  _not at all_  at this point.


	30. Chapter 30

The group was trying to keep a precarious balance - they wanted to get to the Prince home and rescue Roman, but they also wanted to  _succeed_  at their first attempt - and that meant planning ahead of time.  
  
And who knew what might happen to Roman in the meantime?  
  
Still, they had to do it. Virgil, Logan, Roman, and Patton knew all too well what happened when such rescue attempts were carried out spur of the moment. Virgil took a few deep breaths to calm himself.  
  
_In for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, out for eight seconds,_  Virgil told himself, closing his eyes.  
  
Not only was he worried for Roman, but the entire scenario reminded him of his encounter with Logan, Patton, and Roman in Knockturn Alley while under Linus' memory enchantments. As Virgil was the one who needed rescuing (unbeknownst to  _himself_  at that time), he wasn't aware of how the planning went at that point in time, but he suspected it was similar to this.  
  
He tried to comfort himself with the reminder that they had greater numbers this time around. Virgil and Astrit were back with the group, and if one counted Deceit's presence? They were in a better position...hopefully.  
  
_"I'm so scared,"_  Patton admitted in a quiet voice.  _"I should have pressed harder, I should have made him tell me what was going on!"_  A few stray tears made their way down his cheeks.  
  
_"What would that have done?"_  Deceit interjected.  
  
_"We would have known about Delilah!"_  Patton told Deceit.  
  
_"And that would have been helpful?"_  Deceit continued.  
  
_"I..."_  Patton faltered.  
  
Virgil realized what Deceit was trying to get at, but knew that Deceit probably wasn't the best person for Patton to receive such news from given his emotional state.  _Even if you did know the letters were from Delilah, you wouldn't have known who Delilah was or what she did. I knew, but...even then, we had no way of knowing for sure that she was going to betray Roman. For all we knew, she was telling the truth. He wanted to see the best in her._  
  
Patton sniffed at that.  _"I told him to. To see the best in everyone. He did, and look where it got him?"_  
  
_That's not your fault or his fault,_  Virgil assured Patton.  _Not when Delilah deliberately wrote her letters in a certain way to convince Roman that she'd changed._  
  
_"They were terrible. The work of a novice,"_  Deceit remarked.  
  
_Coming from you, that's high praise,_  Virgil wrote to his brother with a half smirk, knowing what Deceit  _really_  meant.

Deceit shrugged in response.  
  
Patton managed a shaky smile, but he remained pale and distraught. Virgil pulled him in closer and wrapped his arms around his best friend.  
  
It might be hard for him to offer words of support with his so-called curse, but he could still give Patton a hug.  
  
Virgil glanced to Deceit, then over at Logan, who was discussing something with Chelsea. Era and Astrit were whispering to each other as well.   
  
Virgil lifted an eyebrow at Logan, to which Logan responded with a nod. He took that to mean that they would be ready soon, and he'd have to steel himself to meet the Princes once more.  
  
\---------------  
  
Roman, in the meantime, stood in the company of one other Prince in particular.  _"Where are Victoria and Edward?"_  Roman questioned.  
  
Phillip sneered.  _"You mean mother and father?"_  
  
_"Oh? Am I allowed to call them that? I figured disownment meant forfeiture of the right to refer to them by those titles. How foolish of me,"_  Roman retorted.  
  
Delilah let out a snicker.  
  
Phillip shot her a glare.  _"I thought you were on my side."_  
  
_"I am,"_  Delilah replied.  _"Doesn't stop him from being right. It's his loss, honestly - he's the one ignoring his duty as a pureblood. Don't take it too personally!"_  
  
_"...didn't you bring him here because he rejected you as a wife? And you lecture me on taking things personally?"_  Phillip arched an eyebrow.  
  
_"Can we not at the moment? All of this bickering will give your brother ample opportunity to escape, and I thought you had a bone to pick with him,"_  Delilah gestured to Roman, who was indeed looking for an escape. He'd already tried Apparating, to no success - Delilah must have Apparated beyond the perimeter of the land the Princes owned and brought him inside.   
  
_"I do,"_  Phillip rounded on Roman. Phillip glared at Roman with such ire that Roman was taken aback. Roman and Phillip had differing opinions, but Phillip typically regarded Roman as lesser-than. This was different. This was not Phillip lauding his supposed superiority as a son over Roman's head as if Roman gave a damn. This was something more personal.   
  
_"James is dead,"_  Phillip announced.  _"But you already know that, don't you?"_  
  
_"Who doesn't?"_  Roman retorted. Judging from the gasp Roman heard emanating from Delilah's direction,  _she_  clearly hadn't.  
  
_"James...dead? What happened to him?"_  Delilah glanced from Phillip to Roman then back again.   
  
Of course she'd care - she grew up with  _him_  too. Roman actually felt for her for a split second, until he recalled what she'd done, both in the past and now.  
  
_"Why don't you ask Roman? He knows full well what happened to James,"_  Phillip narrowed his eyes.  
  
He did, but that still didn't explain the revulsion in Phillip's eyes as they bore into Roman.  
  
_"How would he know? He was disowned from your family, wasn't he?"_  Delilah pointed out.  _"Why would he be up on the happenings of a family he doesn't even belong to anymore?"_  
  
Delilah smirked at Roman. It was almost as if she expected Roman to be  _hurt_  by the repeated reminders that he'd been disowned by the Princes. If that was indeed the case, she was probably sorely disappointed by the disaffected blink that Roman offered in return.  
  
_"Because he was there when James died,"_  Phillip clarified.  
  
Huh, so Victoria and Edward had clued him in after all.  
  
_"He's the one who killed him,"_  Phillip announced.  
  
Oh. So  _that_  was how they were going to spin it...


	31. Chapter 31

No wonder Phillip glared down at him with such enmity. He truly thought that Roman killed their older brother.   
  
The worst part? Roman wasn't entirely sure how he could convince Phillip otherwise. From Phillip's perspective, it made sense. James and Roman were on opposite sides of a timeless fight.  
  
 _"You killed James?"_  Delilah stared at him with a face somewhere between horror and disgust.   
  
And despite the fact that he knew he was innocent, Roman could not help but feel as though he was at least partially responsible for James' death. It was Roman who opted to disguise himself as Virgil and James as Patton. It felt like the only option to buy Virgil and his friends some time to recover.   
  
It also exposed James to grave danger. Roman knew how his parents felt about Patton - about all Muggleborns, but with Patton it was worse, because Patton was physical proof that their son was going against everything that they stood for. He might not have cast the Killing Curse, but he placed James in the position that allowed for that Killing Curse to be cast.  
  
How could he forget? The image haunted his dreams nearly every night. It was one thing to hear your parents espouse hate toward someone for their blood, something they had no control over. It was another entirely to see them put that hate into motion. They'd accidentally killed their own son, but Roman knew that they were aiming for Patton - and that was perhaps the most haunting part of all.  
  
 _"He broke in and killed James in cold blood!"_  Phillip shouted.  _"It's about time he pays the price!"_  
  
 _"What reason would I have to kill James in cold blood?"_  Roman blurted out, followed by a laugh that sounded almost hysterical.  _"What would I have to gain from it?"_

Roman felt a surge of satisfaction once he realized that Phillip was at a loss for words.  _  
  
 _"So what, you deny that you killed him?"_  _Phillip arched a brow. __"If you didn't kill him, who did?"_  
  
 _"Oh come on,"_  _Delilah said with a snort. __"You don't actually believe him, do you?"_  
  
 _"Not necessarily, but..."_  _Phillip frowned.   
 _  
 _"You're considering the words of a blood traitor over your own parents? That's rich,"_  _Delilah snickered. _  
  
 _"I know a way of making sure he tells the truth,"__  Phillip retorted.

A way to make sure he told the truth? Roman blanched, not liking the sound of that.  
  
But if it was the truth he wanted? Phillip would get the truth, whether he liked it or not.

\-------------------  
  
 _"Are we ready?"_  Astrit asked, eying the others.  
  
 _"I've been ready!"_  Patton replied, getting into position to Apparate.  
  
 _"Wait,"_  Logan called out.   
  
Patton's shoulders visibly slumped.  _"I've been waiting, I'm tired of waiting, what if Roman's life is in danger?"_  
  
 _"It won't do us any good to Apparate directly to where they are and announce our presence again,"_  Logan explained.  
  
 _"How are we supposed to prevent that? It's not like we can mute Apparation,"_  Chelsea pointed out.  
  
 _"I don't know of a way we can cover our tracks,"_  Deceit remarked.  
  
 _"Then why bother say anything?"_  Logan glared. A few seconds passed before Logan folded his arms across his chest and let out a sigh, squeezing the bridge of his nose with his left hand.  _"This is another one of your word play tricks, isn't it? If you know a way we can cover our tracks, please elucidate."_  
  
 _"We can Apparate directly to their front door,"_  Deceit announced.  
  
 _"Which means we can't Apparate directly to their front door,"_  Era deduced.  
  
Though he'd never been to the Prince home while under Linus' enchantments, Virgil had a feeling he knew what Deceit was getting at. He removed his pad from his pocket and wrote something down.  _They have a perimeter around their house of enchantments. That's why you can't Apparate,_  he explained in his message.  
  
 _"Virgil is wrong,"_  Deceit gestured to Virgil.  
  
 _"Ugh, that is incredibly annoying,"_  Logan continued to massage the bridge of his nose.  
  
 _"How polite, Logan,"_  Deceit retorted.  
  
 _"Behave you two,"_  Patton said warningly. He turned to Deceit and Virgil.  _"How close can we Apparate to the Prince home?"_  
  
Virgil's gaze shifted to Deceit to indicate that he didn't know the answer. If anyone did, it would be Deceit.  
  
 _"I certainly wouldn't say we could not Apparate any closer than a mile or two away in any given direction."  
  
 _"A mile? And we've been wasting all of this time? Roman could be dead by the time we get there!"_  _Patton panicked. __"No more games, I'm going now!"_  
  
_ Before anyone could say anything else, Patton Apparated away.  _  
  
 _"Well, I suppose there's nothing more to it, then,"__  Chelsea shrugged before Apparating herself.  
  
Era and Astrit interlocked their hands together and were the next to Apparate.  
  
Deceit arched an eyebrow at Virgil and Logan before Apparating as well.   
  
Logan extended his hand for Virgil to take.

Virgil and Logan's eyes met. Virgil placed his pad back into his pocket, leaving him unable to say anything lest he delay them even longer.   
  
Logan didn't  _need_  Virgil to say anything.  
  
 _"You're nervous,"_  Logan whispered.  _"This will be your first time dealing with the Princes after everything that happened."_  
  
Virgil let out a shaky sigh and nodded. He wanted to explain that he'd been lead to believe that Victoria, Edward, and even James Prince were people who he could trust. Who, even under his enchantments, seemed kinder and more patient than his own father, who, like Logan at this very moment, recognized when Virgil was feeling nervous and offered him support and kindness.  
  
Then they turned around and killed their own son without a second thought, simply because they thought he was  _Patton_.  
  
Then he recalled that he'd almost done the same thing, in Knockturn Alley. He stopped himself but...what if he hadn't?  
  
 _"Virgil,"_  Logan's voice broke through Virgil's rapidly spiralling thoughts. He gave Virgil's hand several squeezes, squeezes that followed a familiar pattern. 4 squeezes. Pause. 7 squeezes. Pause. 8 squeezes. Pause.  
  
Virgil realized belatedly that there were tears running down his cheeks.  
  
 _"I'm afraid too. But we have to do this, for Roman,"_  Logan insisted.  
  
Virgil gave a firm nod, wiping his tears away with his free hand. The words didn't rid him of his anxiety- far from it, in fact. He was still terrified, and he still felt guilty. But Logan was right - they had to do this for Roman. Roman would do the same in Virgil's shoes. Roman  _had_  done the same in Virgil's shoes.  
  
Virgil squeezed Logan's hand and let out a hum to let Logan know he was ready. He closed his eyes just as the familiar sensation of being sucked into a narrow tube overtook them.


	32. Chapter 32

Virgil felt one foot touch solid ground. The other? Not so much. Virgil felt himself careen off balance, and as he still grasped Logan's hand? Logan was pulled off balance as well.  
  
 _"How nice of you to drop in,"_  Astrit jested with a grin on his face.  
  
Virgil slowly disentangled himself from Logan while Logan did the same. Once he caught his bearings sufficiently enough, Virgil slowly rose to his feet. He glanced at Logan to make certain that his boyfriend wasn't hurt too badly, and even offered Logan a hand to help him stand.  
  
At first Logan refused the hands, but Virgil arched a brow at him as if to say 'really?'  
  
 _"Its not that I don't appreciate the help, it's just that I can manage myself,"_  Logan assured him.  
  
Virgil shrugged as if to say 'your choice' and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

In the meantime, Virgil did a scan of their surrounding area to make sure that all of his friends made it safely to the same destination.

Patton was fine physically, though he looked a little pale. This was likely due to his fear for Roman's safety, however, and thus Virgil wasn't too concerned. He still resolved to keep a close eye on Patton, just in case.  
  
Deceit stood against a nearby tree with his arms folded across his chest and an impassive expression on his face. Chelsea greeted Era and Astrit with a loud yell.  
  
 _"I thought we were trying not to draw attention to ourselves,"_ Logan snorted, grunting as he pushed himself from a seated position to a standing position.  
  
 _"Oh, I'm sure we'll encounter a ton of people out this far,"_  Deceit intoned.  
  
 _"I know we're less likely to run into someone here than we are closer to the Prince homestead, but that doesn't mean we can afford to let our guard down,"_  Logan snapped.

 _"Is everyone here?"_  Patton's eyes scanned the group.   
  
 _"Think we're all present and accounted for,"_  Astrit replied back.  
  
 _"Let's go then! We have a Roman to save!"_  Patton was about to set off when he turned to Deceit with a frown.  _"Um, what direction is the house?"_  
  
Deceit chuckled and shook his head, motioning for the others to follow him.   
  
\------------------  
  
 _"I don't know why he needs to fetch anything. All he needs is one spell to extract the truth from you,"_  Delilah remarked.  
  
 _"The Cruciatus Curse? My, Delilah, I didn't take you to be so crude,"_  Roman observed.  
  
Delilah sneered. Apparently he hit a nerve with that? Good.  _"Not crude, just resourceful,"_  she huffed.  
  
Roman had to admit that he was curious as to how Delilah and Phillip would react once they discovered the truth. He had his doubts as to whether they would believe him even when he did tell them the truth, which put him in a sketchy situation overall. If they were going to torture him, they would likely torture him until they heard what  _they_  wanted to hear.  
  
Phillip entered the room once more.  
  
 _"Its about time. Were you digging out an old iron maiden from the basement or something?"_  Delilah arched an eyebrow.  
  
 _"No, I was retrieving this,"_  Phillip announced, holding a small vial of clear liquid in front of him.  
  
 _"Veritaserum? Where's the fun in that?"_  Delilah frowned.   
  
 _"I dunno, I would say it's quite resourceful,"_  Roman said with a sly smirk.  
  
Delilah opened her mouth as if she were about to retort, then grumbled under her breath. Roman could not help but snicker.  
  
 _"Just give him the Veritaserum, Phillip,"_  she growled out.  
  
 _"You want me to drink straight Veritaserum?"_  Roman blinked.  
  
 _"Why not? It doesn't have to be mixed with anything,"_  Delilah retorted.  
  
 _"I just thought the gay Veritaserum might work better,"_  Roman said with a grin.  
  
Phillip let out a few snickers, to which Delilah cast a glare in his direction.  _"Why are you laughing?"_  
  
 _"Because he burned your ass. Hey, if you can do it when he does it to me, I can do it when he does it to you,"_  Phillip replied.  
  
Delilah huffed and blew a stray hair out of her face.  _"Whatever. Just give him the Veritaserum so we can get this confession out of him."_  
  
Phillip carefully poured half of the contents of the vial into a cup for Roman to drink. Delilah tipped the cop to Roman's lips, and Roman embibed the contents of the cup.  
  
He'd never taken Veritaserum before, so he wasn't sure what to expect from it. Would he feel it all at once, or would it happen gradually? Would he even notice anything? It wasn't like he intended to lie.  
  
 _"Alright, let's start. Did you used to sleep with a stuffed bunny when you were little?"_  Phillip began.  
  
 _"What? Yes!"_  Roman replied, his eyes widening when he said the  _opposite_  of what he actually intended to say.  
  
 _"What was his name?"_  Phillip continued.   
  
 _"Her name was Mrs. Fluffybottom!"_  Roman announced.   
  
 _"Phillip, what in Merlin's name are you doing?"_  Delilah implored, looking at the elder of the two brothers as if he had two heads.  
  
 _"Just making sure the potion works. Roman would never talk about Mrs. Fluffybottom otherwise,"_  Phillip smirked.

Roman glared. He was less concerned about his confessions regarding his childhood stuffed animal than he was about the fact that his mouth seemed to be working of its own accord. It was good in that Roman's words could be taken as 100% true,  _despite_  the truth not being something that Phillip would want to hear - but the thought of having little control over what came out of his own mouth wasn't pleasant in the least, and Roman felt increasingly uncomfortable.

But if it was the only way to get Phillip to actually listen to and believe the truth? He couldn't think of a better opportunity.  
  
He much preferred this method to torture at any rate. One could argue that torture was coerced. Veritaserum meant that one was forced to tell the truth.  
  
Phillip was providing Roman with the perfect opportunity to plead his case, and he didn't even realize it. He probably thought he was backing Roman into a corner and forcing him to confess his crimes - Crimes he'd never committed in the first place.  
  
Phillip cleared his throat and looked Roman in the eye.  _"How did James die?"_


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for depiction of severe bodily injury

He might have skipped around at first, but when it came down to it? Phillip went  _directly_  for the point.  
  
 _"The Killing Curse,"_  Roman replied.  
  
 _"Who killed him?"_  That was the only way that Phillip could possibly get more direct, and of course he went for it.  
  
Roman lifted his head, his eyes meeting his brother's.  _"Victoria and Edward."_  
  
Delilah scoffed.  _"Are you sure that Veritaserum's working? This blood traitor is actually daring to suggest that your own parents murdered your brother."_  
  
 _"I...how are you doing that?"_  Phillip stared.  
  
 _"Doing what?"_  Roman asked.  
  
 _"Subverting the Veritaserum,"_  Phillip responded.  
  
 _"I'm not,"_  Roman admitted truthfully, because he had no other option  _but_  to do so.  
  
 _"Mother and father would never kill James,"_  Phillip glared.  _"Never. They'd kill you before they would kill James."_  
  
 _"You're right, they would,"_  Roman replied.  _"They hate me and want nothing to do with me, nor do I want anything to do with them. Not after what I've watched them do."_  
  
 _"What you've watched them do?"_  Phillip eyed him curiously.   
  
 _"Oh stop humoring him, Phillip,"_  Delilah snapped.  
  
Phillip held up his hand, and Delilah rolled her eyes.  
  
 _"I was polyjuiced as Virgil, and James was polyjuiced as Patton. We needed to buy time for us to escape, as we were trying to rescue Virgil from Linus,"_  Roman began to explain. He took a quick glance at Phillip, and, once he saw that his brother had nothing to say, continued.  _"They...they didn't even bother to make sure that Patton was actually Patton. They...they just wanted to be rid of the..."_  
  
Roman couldn't say it, even if he was quoting his parents. In fact, he nearly gagged. He could not bring himself to say the word 'Mudblood', knowing that many of his former friends and family used the word to disparage the wonderful, beautiful man that was his boyfriend.  
  
Not just disparage. Victoria and Edward Prince were willing to  _kill_  for those ideals, kill without due diligence, so eager to dispose of a Mudblood that they accidentally murdered their own son in the process. Roman ground his teeth together and clenched his fists.  
  
 _"So they killed James...thinking that he was your..."_  Phillip stared at Roman.  
  
 _"They thought they were killing a Mudblood, though. That's on you,"_  Delilah folded her arms across her chest.  _"If we can actually trust what you're saying."_  
  
 _"He had Veritaserum, Delilah,"_  Phillip said slowly.  
  
Phillip was actually taking Roman's words into consideration. Were Roman able to, he would have done a twirl in joy. And it was this line of thought that made him realize that he had one other way that he could back up his story.  
  
 _"Check my wand,"_  Roman gestured to the wand Delilah held.  _"You'll see that I never cast a Killing Curse in my life with it."_  
  
 _"Delilah?"_  Phillip glanced over at Delilah.  
  
Delilah frowned, holding the wand out to Phillip with a look that conveyed the message 'this had better be worth it'. Phillip pointed his wand directly at Roman's. Roman looked on confidently, knowing that the spell held the key to proving his innocence.  
  
 _"Stupefy!"_  
  
Roman froze at once.  
  
\-------------------  
  
 _"How much further do we have to go?"_  Chelsea arched an eyebrow.   
  
 _"It shouldn't be much further now,"_  Logan replied, leaning back against a tree and letting out a sigh.  _"I'm not used to this much walking."_  
  
Virgil frowned. Was Logan out of breath? Why? Even Virgil wasn't that out of breath and he wasn't very active either.   
  
 _"You need to get out more if you're losing your breath walking this far,"_  Era snorted.  _"Maybe play a few games of Quidditch. Not saying you have to join the Quidditch team, but a little exercise would do you some good,"_  she teased.  
  
 _"Look, Patton's not having a hard time of it and he doesn't play Quidditch either!"_  Chelsea pointed out.  
  
 _"Pretty sure Patton's running on pure adrenaline at the moment, courtesy of his love for Roman,"_ Astrit reasoned.  
  
 _"It should be a lot longer now,"_  Deceit called out.  
  
Logan groaned.  
  
 _"Relax, Lo, I'm pretty sure that means we're actually getting close,"_  Chelsea smiled.  _"Remember, this turd likes to talk in circles,"_  she gestured in Deceit's direction.  
  
 _"Well I'd never!"_  Deceit responded in a faux outraged tone.  
  
Logan let out a huff of annoyance. Virgil was about to send a sympathetic smile in Logan's direction, but his smile abruptly fell when he saw that Logan was not simply out of breath. He was sweating, and he looked even paler than he had earlier. In fact, now that Virgil thought about it, he'd seemed off ever since...  
  
Ever since they arrived here.   
  
 _"Well, we're in the home stretch,"_  Patton observed and started to set off. So did Astrit, Deceit, Chelsea, and Era.  
  
 _"Well, guess we better be..."_  Logan and Virgil went to set off in the direction the others were headed in, but Logan stumbled over. If Virgil didn't know any better, he would swear Logan was  _drunk_.  
  
Virgil crouched down at once, holding out a hand to help Logan up once more. He expected Logan to refuse his offer and insist on helping himself up.  
  
Instead, he realized that Logan now looked so pale that Virgil wasn't entirely sure how he'd stayed standing for as long as he did.  
  
He wanted to call out for the others, but realized that he  _couldn't_. He couldn't talk. He relied on his pad and paper, and that wasn't going to do one damn bit of good when his friends weren't even looking in his direction.  
  
 _"I thought...just a cramp...but maybe splinch...toe...perhaps..."_  Logan muttered.  
  
Virgil shot him a stern look.  
  
 _"I didn't think...that bad...only hurt a little...seemed illogical to...hold us up for...something so small,"_  Logan explained, properly interpreting Virgil's look as a question of why Logan hadn't said anything sooner.  
  
Virgil held a hand over Logan's left shoe. He eyed Logan closely.  _"No, other one,"_  Logan replied, and Virgil untied Logan's shoe and slowly slid it off.  
  
His hand flew to his mouth.  
  
Virgil had a sick feeling that Logan's socks weren't  _originally_  white on top and red on the bottom. Virgil was utterly terrified for what he might find beneath the sock, but he knew that he had to remove it nevertheless, to help Logan. Taking a deep breath, Virgil steeled himself. Then he pulled off Logan's sock in one fell swoop.  
  
One toe? More like  _every single toe on that foot_.  
  
Virgil might not be able to call out for help, but he could still do  _one_  thing. And now seemed like just as good a time to do it as any.  
  
Virgil screamed.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for depictions of character death in this chapter

Who...what?  
  
 _"That's enough, Phillip,"_  Edward's voice announced warningly.  
  
 _"Enough?"_  Phillip turned to look at his father in confusion.  
  
Roman's stomach lurched painfully at the sight of his father. A short distance behind Edward stood Victoria, who was staring at Roman himself like he was lower than the dirt on the bottom of her shoe.  
  
Roman glared back.   
  
 _"What are you doing here?"_  Victoria barked.  _"I thought it was understood that you are no longer welcome under this roof."_  
  
 _"Very well understood, and if it were my choice I would have never stepped foot in this dump again as long as I lived. Unfortunately, the girl you opted to betroth me to when we were barely old enough to walk thought it was a good idea to bring me here,"_  Roman explained.  
  
Victoria turned to Delilah with a curious expression.  _"Delilah, dear, what are you doing here?"_  
  
Delilah arched an eyebrow.  _"You didn't tell me Roman was dating a Mudblood boy at Hogwarts!"_  
  
 _"It didn't seem important. We certainly didn't think that you would go seeking him out yourself!"_ Victoria huffed.  _"What were you even thinking?"_  
  
Roman glanced about the room while this was going on. Judging by the shattered case as against the opposite wall, and the fact that no one lay unconscious, Roman assumed that the Stunning Spell was either deflected or dodged.  
  
Phillip moved closer to Roman.  _"Where were we? Ah yes, your wand..."_  
  
 _"I said that's enough, Phillip! Do not disobey me!"_  Edward snarled.  
  
 _"This will prove that Roman is lying,"_  Phillip asserted.  
  
 _"You don't need proof, you already heard what happened from me. Now hand over Roman's wand so that I can properly dispose of it. Then we can take care of him,"_  Edward sneered.  
  
 _"You mean like you took care of James?"_  Roman snapped back.  
  
The color briefly drained from Edward's face, but his eyes darkened.  _"Hand over the blood traitor's wand, Phillip."_  
  
 _"But father, I..."_  
  
 _"HAND OVER THE WAND, BOY!"_  Edward roared.  
  
 _"NO!"_  Phillip shouted back.  
  
Roman, Delilah, and Victoria all looked on in surprise.  
  
 _"Excuse me?"_  Edward stared.  _"Did you just tell me no?"_  
  
 _"I did,"_  Phillip replied, with little of the bite that his 'no' had. In fact, he sounded almost  _scared_.  
  
 _"I would not suggest doing that again, Phillip. Now, hand over the wand..."_  
  
 _"No,"_  Phillip repeated.  _"I don't see why you're so intent on keeping me from seeing the truth. Unless...unless you're hiding something from me."_  
  
 _"I will no longer tolerate this disrespect! Petrificus Totalus!"_  
  
 _"Silencio!"_  Phillip shouted.   
  
The two jets met one another.  
  
Edward stared at Phillip in surprise.  _"You dare raise your wand against me?"_  
  
 _"You did so first,"_  Phillip retorted.  
  
But something strange was happening. Where the two spells met, images were forming. A man being tortured. A person being bound with ropes.  
  
 _"What in the..."_  Edward tried to yank his wand away, but whatever magic was at work here appeared to be more powerful than he was.  
  
After several more images passed, a familiar one came to light. 'Patton' slowly gaining consciousness. 'Patton' pleading with Edward. Edward casting the Killing Curse. 'Patton' ceasing to move. 'Patton' slowly shifting to James.  
  
Looked like Phillip found the proof that he wanted after all.

\------------------  
  
Virgil tried frantically to think of something to help Logan, but it was hard to think clearly when he had every reason to panic.  
  
 _His boyfriend was bleeding, his boyfriend was bleeding, hisboyfriendwasbleeding, ohMerlinhisboyfriendwasbleeding._  
  
He needed something to keep the blood in, to stem the bleeding. Spotting Logan's tie, Virgil immediately began to loosen it from its perch.  
  
 _"What...you..."_  Logan looked on in confusion.   
  
Virgil carefully wrapped Logan's tie around the injury. It was only a temporary fix and probably wouldn't do much (and he'd owe Logan a new tie), but at least it was something.  
  
 _"Virgil? Logan?! LOGAN!"_  Patton came running once he saw Logan laying on the ground. Era wasn't far behind him, nor were Astrit and Chelsea. Deceit came last, slinking up to the scene.  
  
 _"What the hell happened?"_  Chelsea gasped.

 _"His foot?"_  Astrit asked, noting the way that Virgil sloppily placed the tie around Logan's wounds.  
  
The tie that was, as Virgil expected, already soaked through with blood.  
  
 _"He...he splinched himself, didn't he?"_  Era blurted out as the realization hit her.  
  
Virgil nodded.   
  
Patton dug into his bag.  _"Remove the tie,"_  Patton told them.

The others, Virgil included, stared back at him in confusion.  
  
 _"Remove the tie!"_  Patton insisted, and Patton was so adamant that Virgil immediately went for it.  
  
 _"But it's stemming some of the bleeding! Won't removing it cause him to bleed out even faster?"_ Astrit pointed out.  
  
 _"I see none of you forgot that Patton has taken Healing classes and worked in the hospital wing,"_ Deceit remarked.  
  
Virgil was ashamed to realize in his panic that no, he  _hadn't_  taken that into consideration. He took a quick glance at Logan's face. Logan's eyes were half-open, and his respiration rate increased. He was conscious, but barely, as evidenced not only by this but the fact that he hadn't said anything since the others arrived. They had to act fast, and there was no more time for dilly-dallying around or asking questions.  
  
Virgil finished untying the makeshift bandage and pulled it away. A chorus of gasps came from the others, Patton included. Were Virgil able to speak normally, he probably would have remarked something along the lines of 'now do you see why I screamed?'. As it was, he figured a simple arch of one eyebrow upward would do the trick.   
  
He quickly moved aside so that Patton could move in and tend to Logan's wound. He retrieved a small bottle from his bag and sprinkled some over Logan's wounds.   
  
 _"Dittany? But that will only heal the skin, won't it?"_  Era frowned.  
  
Patton nodded, sprinkling a few more drops and then quickly sealing the container and putting it back into the back.  _"Yeah, unfortunately, but it's the best we can do for now."_  
  
 _"Now what do we do?"_  Chelsea looked on.  
  
 _"We have to wait for the dittany to take effect. Don't worry, it's fast acting,"_  Patton assured them. Sure enough, the group was already beginning to see the effects of the dittany on Logan's foot...


	35. Chapter 35

The images may have vindicated Roman, but that offered little comfort to Roman when he was face to face with the same images that haunted him for months, the reminder that his parents were capable of cold-blooded murder.  
  
It didn't even matter that they'd accidentally killed  _James_  over Patton. Patton's death would have devastated Roman more, of course, but he didn't take  _joy_  from James' death. He and James might have been on different sides, but James didn't deserve the fate that he received. Roman shuddered as he realized that the last thing his oldest brother saw was his father staring coldly,  _cruelly_  down upon him before casting the Killing Curse. What must have gone through his mind in that final moment?  
  
Phillip and Edward pulled at their wands at the same time, and that turned out to be the key - the effects of whatever magic generated the regurgitation of Edward's prior spells ceased in a bright flash of light.  
  
 _"...well that was unexpected,"_  Delilah remarked, breaking the awkward silence that followed.  
  
 _"You lied to me,"_  Phillip blurted out.  _"You lied to me."_  
  
Edward let out a huff.  _"I sought to spare you the gritty details. Yes, it was sadly a case of mistaken identity. The traitor us convinced that he was Virgil Thompson, and that James was the Mudblood that the traitor cared for so dearly. We responded accordingly."_  
  
 _"You killed James!"_  Phillip reiterated.  
  
 _"Yes, but as you saw, it was a case of mistaken identity. Had we known that was James, we would have reacted differently,"_ Edward explained.  
  
 _"Obviously,"_  Phillip spat back.  _"That doesn't change the fact that you lied to me."_  
  
 _"What does it matter?"_  Victoria chimed in.  _"What happened happened, there's no use reliving it over and over again. I lost a son!"_  
  
 _"You lost a son because you were unwilling to carry out the due diligence to make sure you were murdering the right person,"_ Roman snarled.  
  
 _"Silence, traitor, this conversation does not concern you,"_  Edward glared.  
  
 _"So why didn't you tell me all of this?"_  Phillip shot back.  
  
 _"Why do you think we didn't tell you? Look at how you're reacting now, you foolish boy! If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're being swayed to follow in that traitor's footsteps!"_  Edward growled.  
  
 _"At least I can trust Roman to tell me the truth!"_  Phillip called back in return.  
  
 _"I mean, he was under the influence of Veritaserum,"_  Delilah muttered.  
  
 _"You claimed that Roman killed James. You stood firm behind this ruse, both of you, rather than admit to your own mistake,"_ Phillip glared.  _"How can I possibly trust you? If you'd lie about something like this, who knows what else you've lied about?"_  
  
 _"He's a blood traitor, Phillip, what does it matter?"_  Victoria chimed in with a huff.  _"It was easier this way, to shift the blame. What happened was a horrific tragedy - Believe me when I say that no one was as devastated by what happened to your brother as we were! We knew you'd be devastated too if you knew - we were trying to protect you!"_  
  
 _"No,"_  Phillip ground his teeth together.  _"You were trying to protect yourselves. Expulso!_  He shouted.  
  
Edward and Victoria both entered dueling stance. Delilah watched with wide-eyes, clearly unsure  _what_  to say or do. Roman felt a savage sort of satisfaction to see that she was at a loss for words for once.  
  
Phillip's spell was not aimed at his parents, however. It was aimed at the ceiling. Roman saw now that a large crack formed in the ceiling - and it was still growing. There was a low groaning noise, and the ceiling started to buckle-  
  
\------------------------------

Virgil watched as new skin seemed to stitch itself together over Logan's foot as the group looked on. No new toes were growing in their place, however, and Virgil wondered if there  _was_  to replace those toes.  
  
On the bright side, Logan was no longer actively bleeding. However, the dittany did not replace the blood that he'd already lost from his injury. He wouldn't bleed out, but he was still dangerous weak - and they weren't exactly in a position where they could carry out a blood transfusion or even offer Logan a Blood-Replenishing Potion.  
  
 _"What do we do now?"_  Chelsea looked on worriedly.  
  
 _"Was the goal not to rescue Roman?"_  Deceit pointed out.  
  
 _"The goal was to rescue Roman as a team,"_  Era shot back.  _"I'm pretty sure Logan's out for the count, so that leaves us with one person less."_  
  
 _"We probably shouldn't leave Logan out here alone,"_  Astrit added.  
  
 _"Who's going to stay with Logan?"_  Pattom frowned. It was clear that he was worried for Logan, but he  _needed_  to go after Roman, to help his boyfriend.  
  
Virgil lifted his hand slightly.

He wanted to rescue Roman, but it felt more important to stay with Logan. Logan was there for Virgil when Virgil needed him most, and Virgil wanted to be there for Logan when  _Logan_ needed someone most. He also had his doubts as to how helpful he'd be if it came down to combat. He was still learning the ropes of nonverbal spells, after all. While there was no doubt that he was making progress, he hadn't had much of a chance to put them into practice in an actual fight.

 _"Are you sure, Virgil?"_  Patton looked at him with a frown.  
  
Virgil nodded, then pointed in the direction they'd been heading in before all of this occurred. He motioned for Patton and the others to keep going.  
  
He watched as they continued on their way, then retrieved his wand from his pocket. He felt moderately more at ease now that Logan's wound healed itself, but he knew that Logan was not out of the woods yet. Logan was unconscious by this point, which Virgil regarded as both a blessing and a curse.  
  
It was a blessing because it meant that Logan was free from the pain and discomfort for the time being, and the less Logan had to deal with that the better. It was a curse, however, because it meant that Virgil had to keep checking to make certain that Logan was still  _breathing_ , that he was still  _alive_.  
  
He hoped that the others would hurry back with Roman soon..


	36. Chapter 36

Just as the ceiling caved in, Roman felt a hand seize his and pull as hard as they could. Roman became aware that whoever the hand belonged to was attempting to  _run_ , and by this point Roman was running on autopilot. There was  _so much_  to take in, and Roman was trying to process all of it.  
  
It was bad enough that his mind continued to play out the events of James' death day in and day out. It was another entirely to see it play out in front of him as an byproduct of some bizarre magic. He might not have gotten along with his parents for  _years_ , but it was one thing to realize that one's parents were bigots with terrible views. It was another entirely to see them  _kill_  for those views - and the victim being another purveyor of those views did not help. Roman was grateful that the victim was not actually Patton, that much could not be denied, but his parents  _thought_  it was until Patton shifted into James before their very eyes. Then and only then did they show regret for their actions, though not enough regret to actually atone. Instead, they shifted the blame to Roman when explaining what happened to Phillip, and now? Now it backfired in their face.  
  
Roman wished that he could be pleased with that, but instead he felt remarkably  _numb_. He just wanted the whole thing to be over. He couldn't believe that all of this started because he dared to think that Delilah might have changed, that she might have learned her lesson, that she might have gotten better with time.  
  
Instead, she'd gotten  _worse_.  
  
Roman continued to run, paying no heed to who ran with him until they were a considerable distance from the Prince home, a place where they could hide among the trees and catch their breath without worrying about being spotted right away.  
  
Then and only then did Roman check to see who fled alongside him.  
  
He was only mildly surprised that it was Phillip. He'd considered briefly that it might have been Delilah. He cursed himself for even thinking along those lines. He was a hypocrite, against the idea of integrating Deceit into their group, and yet he was willing to offer Delilah a chance for even less evidence that she'd changed than Deceit provided.  
  
All because Delilah was his  _childhood best friend_. She was no longer a child, and neither was he, and it was painfully clear that they'd gone their separate ways. It was not his fault - he was still willing to accept her into his heart, as a  _friend_ , but she scorned him. If she could not have him in the  _precise_  way that she wanted, she did not want him at all - and did not want anyone  _else_  to have him either.  
  
As much as he continued to tell himself this, repeating it in his mind like a mantra, he still felt like a fool.  
  
 _"Phillip,"_  he whispered after a long silence.  
  
Phillip turned to look at him.  _"Roman. Are you...?"_  
  
 _"Alright? Never been better,"_  Roman lied.  
  
Phillip rolled his eyes.  _"Same. Best day I've had in a long time."_  
  
The two brothers stood in silence, as if waiting for the other to break it up once more. It was Phillip who ultimately caved this time around.  _"Stop,"_  he said at last.  
  
 _"Stop what? I'm not doing anything,"_  Roman furrowed his brow in confusion.  
  
 _"Stop lying. I'm sick of all of the lying,"_  Phillip blurted out.  
  
Roman snorted.  _"You? Sick of lying? That's rich. One of your best friends literally goes by the name Dece-"_  
  
 _"Stop,"_  Phillip repeated, this time with more emphasis.   
  
Roman blinked back in surprise.  
  
 _"I'm sick of all of the lies,"_  Phillip repeated.  _"You're not fine, I'm not fine, you didn't kill James,_  they did,  _I can't trust them, I can't trust you, I can't trust myself..."_  
  
Roman blinked in bewilderment.  _"You can trust me, I assure you."_  
  
Phillip let out a bitter chuckle.  _"Can I? I don't even know if I can. You told me the truth, but how much of that was because of the Veritaserum?"_  
  
 _"I would have told you the truth regardless,"_  Roman began, but was once more cut off by Phillip.  
  
 _"Would you? Maybe you would have. Maybe you wouldn't have. You have no reason to trust me. I have no reason to trust you. I sure as hell don't trust our parents. I...I can't stay here,"_  Phillip muttered.  
  
 _"Come with me, then. My friends and I will welcome you-"_    
  
Once again, Roman was cut off by his brother.  _"Will you? Welcome me, I mean? Or will we go through this song and dance all over again? They have no reason to trust me. Would you trust someone like me? Would you expect someone like me to trust you so easily?"_  
  
Roman's stomach lurched at that, painfully reminded of how he and his friends responded to Deceit, how Deceit responded to  _them_ , and realized that he could offer no further words of comfort to Phillip that would not be lies.  
  
And Phillip made it very clear that he didn't want to hear any more lies.  
  
 _"Just as I thought,"_  Phillip sighed.  _"We need to go."_  
  
 _"I thought you'd never say that,"_  Roman said with a chuckle. They could carry on this conversation later, but they needed to keep going, to get away before they were caught.  _"Come on, let's go. I think our best bet is this way!"_  Roman began to march, not stopping until he heard a faint chuckle and what he could swear sounded like a far off 'goodbye, Roman'.  
  
Roman turned on the spot. Phillip was gone, nowhere to be found.

\------------------  
  
Logan didn't deserve him.  
  
Virgil ran a hand through Logan's hair. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea for him to stay behind. As Logan was unconscious, all Virgil had to keep him company were his own thoughts.   
  
And his thoughts weren't exactly known for being  _kind_.  
  
 _Should have stayed behind in the first place,_  he thought to himself.  _Not like I did much to help. Not like I can do much to help. I'm still relearning how to cast spells._  
  
 _I did cast the Patronus Charm, though,_  he attempted to reason.  _That's a complex spell. That means I should be able to cast any of the spells that I could cast before._  
  
 _In a fight, though?_  he countered himself.  _All of this practice has been in the safety of my mother's flat. What's to say I could do anything in a fight, that I wouldn't completely chicken out and not be able to cast anything? What's to say that I wouldn't be useless, a burden?_  
  
 _There's strength in numbers, though,_  he feebly considered.  
  
 _Not when one of those numbers just drags the entire party down,_  he retorted in his own mind.  _People splinch themselves because something prevented them from being sufficiently determined. Has Logan ever splinched himself before? Why not? And what was different this time?_  
  
He...he couldn't come up with an argument against that.  
  
The only difference was Virgil. Virgil was the reason Logan was hurt.


	37. Chapter 37

As Roman continued on, he wondered if he could have said or done anything that would persuade Phillip to stay.  
  
Did Roman trust Phillip? Not quite, and the feeling was clearly mutual. If he had to choose between his parents, Delilah, and Phillip? He'd go with Phillip, no questions asked.  
  
He could see the turmoil in Phillip's eyes as he left. He knew that he could no longer trust Victoria and Edward, but he wasn't sure if he could trust Roman either. He didn't know  _what_ to do or where to go - and Roman, as much as he wanted to play the hero, couldn't help.  
  
_"How much further?"_  Roman glanced up from the ground when he heard a familiar voice.  
  
Dare he hope...?  
  
Of  _course_  he dared to hope! A triumphant smile began to cross his features, only to freeze as Roman considered the very real possibility that this might be a trap.  
  
Nevertheless, Roman sprinted toward the source of the voice.  
  
_"Someone's approaching!"_  a young woman's voice hissed. He recognized that voice too. It was looking less and less like a trap and more and more like his friends were here. With a final burst of speed, Roman tore off as fast as he could. As soon as he spotted the familiar grey cardigan tied around the blonde man's neck, Roman launched himself toward the man in question.  
  
Patton yelped as he fell off balance, landing in a heap on the ground.   
  
_"What the..."_  Astrit narrowed his eyes, his wand pointed toward the newcomer and Patton. Era and Chelsea had their wands pointed as well.  
  
Once they caught a glimpse of what was happening, however, they lowered their wands immediately.  
  
_"Roman! Roman, you're safe! You're safe! I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I'm sorry I didn't stop you! Oh my goodness are you okay? I didn't even ask if you were okay!"_  Patton rambled and fussed over Roman.  
  
_"Oh darling, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, I should not have kept secrets from you, that was ungentlemanly of me, are you alright my darling?"_  Roman blurted out with equal vigor.  
  
Chelsea let out a snort and folded her arms across her chest.  _"Just shut up and kiss already,"_  she said, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.

Rather than kiss, however, the two wrapped their arms around each other as hard as they could.  
  
_"Next time you go and meet someone like that, let me come with you,"_  Patton insisted.  
  
_"But then you would have been in danger as well,"_  Roman protested.  
  
_"But then it would have been two against one! She may have never gotten as far as she did!"_  Patton countered.  
  
_"I think we're all wondering how you got away,"_  Era folded her arms across her chest.  _"Especially when it was just you against Delilah and whoever else was home."_  
  
_"Funny you mention it, since it wasn't just me,"_  Roman replied.  _"Do you guys have a while? Cause there's a lot to explain."_  
  
_"Sure, you can tell us while we walk back to Virgil and Logan!"_ Patton told him.  
  
_"Back to Virgil and Logan? Why aren't Virgil and Logan here?"_ Roman wondered.  
  
Astrit winced a little.  _"Well, Logan splinched himself and didn't tell any of us-"_  
  
_"HE DID WHAT?"_  
  
\------------------

Would Logan have splinched himself if he hadn't had extra baggage to Apparate with, in the form of Virgil? Virgil highly doubted it.  
  
It was his fault for being a chicken. Had he learned to Apparate  _himself_ , Logan wouldn't have had to take him using Side-Along Apparition. And why had Virgil declined to continue with Apparation classes? He was afraid of  _splinching himself_.  
  
Now Logan was injured and it was because of him. He should have stayed behind. All he was doing was holding them back, as evidenced by how willing they were to leave him behind with Logan when he volunteered...  
  
Virgil shook his head, trying to reign his thoughts in. He  _volunteered_  to stay. His friends didn't leave him behind because they hated him.  
  
_Though perhaps they should, all things considered. They're good people, much to good for me...no, stop, don't think like that Virge,_ Virgil hissed to himself mentally.  _Fat load of good you'll do Logan if you start having a panic attack. You're supposed to look after him and protect him, because he can't right now. Because he splinched himself. Because he was too busy-_  
  
Virgil rubbed at the bridge of his nose, trying to work past the buzzing in his head. He peered down at Logan, trying to stay focused. Protect Logan. Don't panic.  _Don't panic. You can do this._  
  
He jolted at the sound of movement in the grass nearby. Logan mumbled something. Virgil retrieved his wand and pointed it shakily in the direction of the noise. He narrowed his eyes. He might be terrified, but he could at least try to  _look_  intimidating.  
  
A rabbit hopped out, its nose twitching. Virgil let out a shaky sigh of relief. Just a rabbit. Nothing to worry about. He was freaking out over nothing.  
  
_Not that that's anything new,_  he thought to himself.  
  
_"Vi-?"_  Virgil glanced down at Logan, who was staring blearily up at him.  _"Virgil?"_  he spoke once more.  
  
Apparently all of the commotion roused Logan from his slumber. Virgil managed a smile toward Logan and began to card his hand through Logan's hair. He might not be able to offer words of comfort in his current position, but he could offer actions.  _Its the least I can do, all things considered...ugh, why won't my brain shut up? I don't have time for this right now!_  
  
He didn't. He wanted to concentrate on the task at hand - Protecting and reassuring Logan, but it was hard to do when his mind refused to cooperate with him.  
  
_"Thank you, Virgil,"_  Logan smiled up at him.   
  
_What is he thanking me for, it's my fault he's in this position...OH MY GOD SHUT UP._  
  
_"For staying with me, I mean,"_  Logan clarified.  _"I...was foolish..."_  
  
Virgil held a hand over his mouth in a shushing motion and ran a hand through Logan's hair.  
  
Logan wasn't foolish. Logan was the furthest from foolish that Virgil ever knew. He was a brilliant man. Why would he  _ever_ think he was foolish?  
  
...unless he had an inner dialogue with himself similar to Virgil's. Virgil narrowed his eyes at the thought. It was one thing for  _Virgil_  to have those sorts of thoughts, but Logan? He'd take a beater's bat and bludgeon any and all such thoughts as far away from Logan as he could, were it possible.

...well, he supposed there were worse things he could have on his mind.

Funny how it was so much easier to square up against a loved one's self-deprecation than it was one's own...


	38. Chapter 38

It was a lot to take in, and Roman knew this. It was why he insisted that his friends tell him what happened with Logan first, and  _then_  he could explain everything that happened at the Prince home.  
  
Everything he could make sense of at least, because there certainly were a few things he  _couldn't_.  
  
 _"We should probably keep moving,"_  Astrit warned.  _"If Phillip just sent the roof crashing down on them, they're probably digging their way out of the rubble and plan to come after us."_  
  
 _"Or Phillip - and Phillip isn't with us,"_  Chelsea reasoned.  
  
 _"That'll totally stop them from going after us if we run into them before Phillip does,"_  Deceit remarked in a sardonic tone.  
  
 _"Yeeeeah Deceit's kinda got a point. The sooner we get away from here the better,"_  Patton agreed.  _"After we met up with Virgil and Logan again, of course!"_  
  
Roman gave a firm nod. He had no intent to leave Virgil and Logan behind. They were part of the rescue team for him, after all - and he'd hardly be showing his appreciation if he abandoned them.  
  
The five set back toward Virgil and Logan - or where Roman  _presumed_  Virgil and Logan were located.

Though he wanted nothing more than to hold Patton in his arms and whisper sweet nothings into his ear, he recognized that he needed to do something else first. While Patton, Chelsea, Era, and Astrit led the way, Deceit lingered back slightly- and Roman joined him.  
  
Roman kept glancing at Deceit and they walked, but was unsure how to initiate a conversation. This in itself felt strange - Usually he had no problem doing such a thing, but this was  _Deceit_.  
  
 _"Do you not have a problem?"_  Deceit's voice drew Roman from his thoughts. Deceit had his eyes narrowed at him, and it took Roman a moment or so to realize that Deceit was actually asking him if he  _did_  have a problem.

 _"Oh no, not at all,"_  Roman hastily replied.  
  
 _"Then continue to stare at me the way you are. It doesn't give off the opposite impression in the least,"_  Deceit rolled his eyes.  
  
 _"Yeah, well, you'd know all about opposite impressions wouldn't you?"_  Roman muttered.  
  
Deceit glared, and Roman's hand flew to his own mouth. Yeah, snide comments weren't exactly the vibe he was trying to go for.  
  
 _"You shouldn't join your boyfriend and friends. Why would you ever prefer talking to me instead?"_ Deceit huffed.  
  
Roman frowned, suspecting there was a bit more truth in that question than Deceit wanted to admit. And that was just the opening he was looking for. It was still difficult - Roman was not the type who found it easy to swallow his pride (or the semblance of pride he gave off, at least), and this was no different.  _"I apologize for how I've treated you in the past."_  
  
 _"I'm...what?"_  Deceit blinked bewilderedly.   
  
 _"I apologize. I should not have been so quick to rush to judgment. I admit, I still do not fully trust you, but I am willing to offer you a chance,"_  Roman explained.  
  
Deceit let out a snort, a smirk spreading across his features.  _"Did I give you any real reason to trust me?"_  
  
Roman's stomach lurched and his eyes widened as he immediately wondered if he'd misjudged.  
  
Deceit chuckled.  _"See, you have every reason to trust me, just as I have every reason to trust you,"_  he winked.  
  
Oh. This was another one of Deceit's plays on words.  
  
 _"You don't always have to do that, you know,"_  Roman told him.  
  
Deceit arched a brow.  _"Do what?"_  
  
 _"Talk like that. You do it because you feel you can't trust anyone with the truth, don't you?"_ Roman deduced.  
  
Deceit scoffed.  _"That's ridiculous."_  
  
Roman noticed that he didn't answer the question though. He didn't even answer in opposites as he often did - he  _directly_  avoided the question.  
  
As far as Roman was concerned, that was answer enough by itself.

\------------------  
  
 _"Where are the others at?"_  Logan wondered out loud.  
  
Virgil pointed toward the trees that the others disappeared through a while before. Who knew were they were now? Who knew how they were doing now? For all Virgil and Logan knew, their lives might be in danger, and they'd have no way of knowing.  
  
 _"They continued after Roman?"_  Logan asked. Virgil nodded.  
  
 _"Good, I was hoping that my misfortune would not hold up our efforts..."_  Logan's voice was growing stronger, but he still sounded exhausted. If only Virgil had some sort of Blood-Replenishing Potion with him. Alas, that wasn't exactly something he carried around with him every day.  
  
Though at the rate he and his friends continued to encounter trouble? He might have to alter that philosophy.  
  
 _"I would suggest we go after them, but as much as I would like to see how they are faring, that does not seem like the best option,"_  Logan sighed.  
  
Virgil shook his head. At least he wouldn't have to argue with Logan. If Virgil had to be honest, even in his current condition Logan would probably fare better than Virgil. At least Logan could still cast spells.  
  
 _So can you, dipshit,_  he thought to himself.  _You know you're capable of doing nonverbal spells._  
  
Additional rustling came from the nearby trees. Virgil felt as if his heart skipped a beat as he clutched Logan tighter, slowly lifting his wand. He might have the chance to test out his prowess at nonverbal spells in combat sooner than he thought he would.  
  
Another rabbit hopped out from the brush. Virgil rolled his eyes.   
  
 _"A rabbit? False alarm, I suppose,"_  Logan murmured.  
  
Virgil was getting mighty annoyed with these false alarms. He rolled his eyes as he heard more rustling - probably more rabbits, but then froze when he heard voices.  
  
 _Those_  definitely weren't rabbits. Virgil tightened his grip on his wand and narrowed his eyes, wanting to be ready to defend Logan and himself at a moment's notice if he needed to.  
  
 _"Pretty sure they should be someone around he-oh, there they are!"_  Patton's voice. That was Patton's voice. Virgil sat up at once.


	39. Chapter 39

Virgil didn't expect to see Patton, Era, Astrit, Chelsea, and Deceit back so soon. He  _definitely_  didn't expect for them to return with Roman after such a short period of time.  
  
 _"I believe I was out for longer than I expected, if you were able to escape in that amount of time,"_  Logan remarked, slowly pushing himself to a seated position as Virgil looked on in concern, ready to catch Logan when/if he fell off balance.  
  
 _"Nah, we're just that good,"_  Chelsea said with a wink.  
  
 _"If by good you mean Roman did all the work for us,"_  Astrit amended with a grin.  
  
 _"I didn't even do most of the work, Phillip did,"_  Roman corrected.  
  
Virgil blinked in surprise. Phillip? As in the Phillip who worked with Deceit a year prior and wound up sentenced to Azkaban with him? That Phillip?  
  
 _"He helped you escape? Surely I must not be understanding correctly, perhaps I am still a bit confused from the blood loss,"_ Logan frowned.  
  
 _"He did. See, Victoria and Edward told him that I was responsible for James' death. When he discovered that was a lie, he was none too pleased,"_  Roman explained.  
  
 _"How did he discover the truth? Why would he believe you over them?"_  Era arched a brow.  
  
Roman's eyes went wide in realization. _"Oh, I must not have told you - something strange happened when Edward and Phillip went to duel!"_  There was a  _lot_  to say, after all!

 _"I've never seen something like this happen before...it was like a spell was cast to see the prior spells that Edward's wand cast, only...unprompted. And it happened the moment the two spells crossed paths,"_  Roman revealed.  
  
 _"Ah, I've heard of such a thing,"_  Logan replied.  
  
 _"You have?"_  Era stared over at him in surprise.  
  
 _"Of course. Roman, do you know what wand cores your father and brother have?"_  Logan inquired.  
  
 _"Uh, I think they both have Dragon Heartstring, why?"_  Roman tilted his head slightly.  
  
 _"Just as I thought. I would be willing to place a bet that the cores on each wand came from the same dragon,"_  Logan concluded.  
  
 _"Oh, I think I've heard of that!"_  Chelsea gasped.  _"Its like reverse spells, only much stronger, and it only happens when two wand cores that come from the same animal meet in a duel! Right?"_  
  
 _"I couldn't have stated it any better myself,"_  Logan smiled.  
  
 _"I mean, it does stand to reason - I recall that Edward purchased a new wand around the time that Phillip purchased his. I wanted one for myself, but I was told that I would have to wait until I was eleven years of age,"_  Roman explained.  
  
 _"You don't go to Ollivander's?"_  Patton blinked in surprise.  _"I thought everyone in the UK went to Ollivander's."_  
  
 _"Most do,"_  Logan contributed.  _"But not all, and if your family purchased their wands from a private wand dealer, I am almost positive that my hypothesis is true and that the two wands share cores."_  
  
Virgil listened with interest. He was not surprised to see that Deceit was as well. Virgil went with Renilda to purchase his wand from Ollivander's when he turned eleven, but Linus took a  _private_  trip with Deceit when Deceit received his wand.  
  
 _"Father did not...did...claimed that it was a spell he knew, and he would use it to see how I was faring with my spellwork,"_  Deceit admitted in quiet voice.  _"One time he saw that I failed and was...was not pleased. I heard...didn't hear the end of it. It wasn't around the time that you gave your first prophecy."_  
  
Virgil recoiled in surprise when Deceit glared at him. He had no idea that Linus frequently used a so-called 'spell' frequently on Deceit's wand to assure that he continued to make the proper amount of progress with his private lessons. It seemed like a  _major_  invasion of privacy.  
  
And the way Deceit glared at him, almost as if he  _blamed_  Virgil - It shed light on why Deceit was so cruel to him after his initial prophecy. Deceit was young himself at that time, but was old enough to recognize that his spot was threatened, that he might soon find himself relegated to Virgil's position as the son that he outright ignored at best and treated like dirt at the bottom of his shoe at worst. He had no desire to give up his position of privilege within the Thompson family so easily.  
  
What did that say about their relationship with Linus, that it was so fraught with complications even when Virgil was  _eight_ and Deceit was  _nine_?

 _"In light of no one else bringing it up, I'll do the honors - We should probably consider getting out of here as soon as we can,"_ Era noted.  
  
 _"Logan's not really in a condition where he can Apparate, though,"_  Astrit pointed out.  
  
 _"Someone can take him with Side-Along Apparition!"_  Patton suggested.  
  
Virgil glanced downward. It was Side-Along Apparition that caused this in the  _first_  place.   
  
 _"It's alright, I'm sure he'll be safe, kiddo,"_  Patton assured Virgil with a smile.  
  
 _"I'll take Specs with me,"_  Roman announced, making his way over to Logan.  
  
 _"You still need someone to take you, right Virge?"_  Patton smiled.  _"I can take you!"_  
  
Virgil shook his head. Patton blinked back in confusion.  _"You don't want me to do it? Chelsea could do it, or even De-"_  
  
Virgil shook his head even more fervently at that.  
  
 _"He doesn't think Logan's injuries are his fault,"_  Deceit not-so-helpfully explained, drifting back to his habit of speaking in opposites.   
  
 _"Awww kiddo, you didn't do this,"_  Patton patted him on the shoulder.  
  
Virgil let out a snort. This would be a whole lot easier if he could  _talk_...and, of course, if he could Apparate.  
  
 _"I promise, I'll get you back just fine,"_  Patton assured him.  
  
Virgil pointed to himself and shook his head, then pointed to Patton.  
  
 _"...you're worried more for me? Awww kiddo, don't worry, we'll get back fine! I promise!"_  
  
Virgil shrugged, taking a couple of steps backward.  
  
 _"You do know I'm not leaving unless I take you with me, right?"_ Patton folded his arms across his chest.  
  
Virgil's eyes went wide. No, Patton shouldn't do that, he should get out of here! Virgil could take care of himself!  
  
 _"Can I offer you some advice?"_  Roman whispered to Virgil.  
  
Virgil lifted an eyebrow and gave a half shrug in response as if to say 'go ahead'.  
  
 _"Take Patton up on his offer. You'll both be in more danger if you stick around here. Even if he does splinch himself, once we get back to Diagon Alley we'll be a lot closer to help if we need it,"_ Roman explained.  
  
 _"Loathe as I am to admit it, Roman's correct,"_  Logan spoke up at last.  _"Not to mention I refuse to leave unless you promise me you're leaving, and as you know, I'm the one most in need of medical help at the moment,"_  Logan still looked pale as could be, but he still managed a sly smirk in Virgil's direction.

...they weren't going to let up, were they? Virgil sighed and took Patton's hand.   
  
Roman and Logan were the first to Apparate, followed by Chelsea, then Deceit, then Era and Astrit, and finally Virgil and Patton.  
  
He just hoped that there weren't any nasty surprises waiting for them this time around.


	40. Chapter 40

The first thing Virgil did once his feet hit solid ground was look Patton over. He saw no signs of injury, but he knew he needed to look  _carefully_  - Logan hid his injuries, after all, and he needed to make certain that Patton was not doing the same.   
  
_"I'm okay Virge, you don't have to keep looking at me like that,"_  Patton assured him with a giggle. He squeezed Virgil's hand before walking over to Roman and Logan. Roman and Logan looked no worse for wear. He took a quick glance at Deceit, Era, Astrit, and Chelsea, who were all managing well enough by the looks of it.   
  
Only when he saw that all of his friends (and brother) made it back safely, and there were no further splinching incidents, could Virgil heave a massive sigh of relief.  
  
They'd Apparated to Renilda's flat. It seemed like the safest base to meet up at without drawing too much attention to themselves. The most they'd have to do was field questions from Renilda and possibly Professor Picani, and they could manage that - though neither of the aforementioned persons were present within the flat by the looks of it.  
  
Not that it mattered at the moment. What mattered was getting Logan patched up.  
  
_Should we take him to St. Mungo's?_  Virgil wrote and showed the others.  
  
_"I think we've...we've spent far too much time there as of late. Fetch...fetch me a Blood Replenishing Potion and then we can go from there,"_  Logan replied, voice still sounding weak.  
  
_"Virge, do you know if there's any pre-brewed Blood Replenishing Potion lying about?"_  Patton called out to Virgil as Roman gently placed Logan on the couch.

Virgil shrugged and set to work looking through cabinets and closets.  
  
_"We can brew some of our own but it takes at least four hours to brew, and I'd really like to give Logan the potion as soon as we can,"_  Patton called out.  
  
Virgil wasn't having any luck finding the potion, something that made him feel more and more frantic as more time passed. By the time he made it to the last cupboard he was practically throwing things aside out of desperation.  
  
_"Wouldn't that be something the apothecaries nearby would carry?"_  Astrit suggested.  
  
A hush fell over the room at once.  
  
_"Astrit, you're a genius!"_  Era grinned and threw her arms around her brother.  
  
Patton turned to Virgil once he noted Virgil's presence in the doorway.  _"Any luck?"_  
  
Virgil shook his head, then looked to Astrit as if to show that he'd heard Astrit's suggestion and knew that was their best bet.  
  
_"Era and I will pick some up from the nearest Apothecary,"_  Chelsea announced, taking Era's hand into hers. The two headed for the door at once. Era paused and glanced back, and Chelsea paused in mid-step in her confusion.  
  
_"Is there anything else you'd like us to grab while we're out?"_  Era inquired.  
  
Patton tapped his chin.  _"Maybe some SkeleGro?"_  
  
_"Aye aye Pat,"_  Chelsea chirped, and she and Era continued on their way.  
  
Virgil felt as if he had to do  _something_ , so he paced about the flat, trying to look for things to do. He headed for the kitchen, where he made Logan a cup of tea. He grabbed some bread and jam for Logan to snack on, then headed back into the living room where Patton was tending to Logan's foot and asking him how he was feeling.  
  
_"Oooh, snacks and tea! Good thinking Virge!"_  Patton grinned.  _"Should help him regain a little of his strength while we wait for Era and Chelsea!"_  
  
_"I'm back with the blanket and pillow, love!"_  Roman called out.  
  
_"Thanks Ro!"_  Patton called out with a smile, leaning to the side so that Roman could reach in and place the pillow under Logan's head. Patton glanced down at Logan.  _"Comfy?"_  
  
_"This is adequate. Thank you,"_  Logan replied, reaching for the jam and bread. He took a bite into the bread, his eyes going wide.  _"Is this Crofters? It's positively exquisite."_  
  
_"Oh so my pillow and blanket were just adequate but your favorite jam is exquisite? I can see when I am not wanted,"_  Roman huffed and folded his arms across his chest.  
  
But he was smirking ever so slightly.

Virgil was happy to see that Logan parked up a bit with the help of a comfy pillow and blanket, as well as something to eat and drink. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him comfortable while they awaited Era and Chelsea's return.  
  
As if on cue, Virgil heard a knock at the door. He ran to get it, ready to step aside so that Era and Chelsea could get the potions to Patton as soon as possible.   
  
Instead he found himself greeted by the sight of his mother and Professor Picani.  
  
_"Hey there hi there ho there!"_  Professor Picani grinned.  
  
Virgil managed a small smile in return.  
  
_"You don't get the...oh, right, pureblood, you wouldn't know Mickey Mouse Club,"_  Professor Picani said with a chuckle.  
  
He did know Mickey Mouse, though, if that said anything.  
  
_"You're back? I figured you'd be out a while longer!"_  Renilda remarked.  
  
_"Virge? Is it Era and Chelsea? Have them come in here!"_  Virgil heard Patton call out to him.  
  
Virgil winced slightly. Not exactly the way he hoped for his mother and Professor Picani to find out, but he had no choice at this point.  
  
_"...something's going on, isn't it? I know that look,"_  Renilda sighed.  _"Suppose there's no point in dawdling then,"_  Renilda motioned for Virgil and Professor Picani to follow her into the living room where Logan was still splayed on the couch.  
  
Renilda let out a sigh as she noted Logan's pallor and the remnants of blood on Virgil, Logan, Patton, and Roman's clothes.  _"This is going to be a long story, isn't it?"_  
  
Virgil nodded and motioned for his mother and Professor Picani to take a seat.

At the very least, this would give them something to do while they waited for Era and Chelsea to come back with supplies?


	41. Chapter 41

Virgil watched Renilda and Professor Picani as he and the others explained everything that happened.  
  
 _"I must say, you guys are getting better at this. It took you less than a day to rescue Roman,"_ Renilda remarked with a wry smile.  
  
 _"Technically Roman rescued himself with the help of his brother,"_  Astrit pointed out.  
  
 _"Still, it could have ended up a lot worse than it did,"_  Renilda replied.  
  
 _Don't remind me,"_  Virgil wrote.  
  
 _"Don't remind me,"_  Astrit remarked concurrently. The two exchanged looks.  
  
If anyone present knew just how true Renilda's words could be, it was the two of them.  
  
 _"I wonder where Phillip could have gone, though,"_  Patton remarked.  _"Should we go after him?"_  
  
 _"I would not advise that,"_  Professor Picani replied. He'd remained fairly silent up to this point, so his decision to suddenly join in their conversation took the others by surprise.   
  
 _"It didn't seem like he wanted me to know where he was going,"_  Roman admitted.   
  
 _"But what if he needs our help?"_  
  
 _"He can't manage just fine. He's completely helpless. It's not like he did anything to assist during the Azkaban breakout,"_  Deceit informed them.  
  
It took a moment for the group to go through the requisite steps to determine what Deceit  _actually_ meant, but once they did? Virgil had to admit Deceig made a good point.  
  
 _He probably wants some time to himself to figure things out,_  Virgil explained.  
  
 _"Wouldn't being around those who care for him help him more?"_  Patton suggested.  
  
Roman let out a snort.  _"I tried that argument. He brought up a good point. With everything that happened, do we really qualify as those who care about him? The rest of you hardly know him. Only Deceit and I could reasonably make that claim, and even then..."_  Roman trailed off.  
  
 _And even if we did qualify, sometimes it's easier to try to sort through the thoughts in your own head than it is to talk about them out loud first thing. Especially with something as crazy as what Phillip found out. Take it from someone who's been there, though not by choice,_  Virgil wrote.  
  
 _"I ultimately have to agree. In fact, I feel as though seeking him out at this point in time may actually cause harm. Given the level of betrayal he is currently experiencing, I think he needs this opportunity to reflect and determine where he stands,"_  Professor Picani surmised.  
  
 _"...I should have gotten out of this mess sooner, like your Uncle Rembrandt,"_  Renilda sighed.  _"For your sakes especially. Your lives could have been so much different if only I had the courage..."_  
  
Sakes? In plural? Virgil glanced over at his mother in confusion, only to realize that she was gazing at both Virgil and Deceit as she spoke.  
  
Deceit opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again and offered a shrug. He had no retort, truth or lie.  
  
 _"That's why we need to work for change,"_  Roman interjected.  _"We can't just run away from our problems. We have to face them head on or they'll continue to haunt us just as they always have."_  
  
 _"What do you mean?"_  Patton looked at him in confusion.  
  
 _"He means taking out the Council,"_  Professor Picani explained.  _"Right?"_  
  
Logan scoffed.  _"That would be utterly foolish-"_  
  
 _"Exactly, Professor Picani!"_  Roman agreed.  
  
 _"...oh, right, Roman and foolishness go together like Crofters and toast,"_  Logan sighed, taking a bite of the aforementioned meal.  
  
Virgil let out a loud snort in movement.  
  
Roman huffed.  _"I didn't mean go in and burn down the Council headquarters or anything. I just meant...we know what we stand for, and we need to continue standing for it. It won't get rid of the problem, but it will present another option for those who are lost in the middle of it all."  
  
"Like Phillip!"_ Patton chimed in.  
  
 _"And me,"_  Deceit added.  
  
The room fell silent, and Deceit ducked his head.  _"I mean...I'm not...you didn't hear anything,"_  he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
Virgil caught Roman glancing in Deceit's direction, looking as if he wanted to say something, but at that point there was another knock on the door that distracted him from the going-ons of the living room.  
  
 _"That's probably Era and Chelsea,"_  Astrit observed.  
  
This time it was Renilda who went to the door. Virgil couldn't think of anyone else who might be joining them, unless his extended family decided to drop by for an impromptu visit.  
  
 _"We're back and we brought snacks!"_  Chelsea called out, tossing a couple of snacks into the living room.  
  
 _"...what about the Blood Replenishing Potion and SkeleGro?"_ Logan replied, looking unamused.  
  
Chelsea snapped her fingers, letting out an exaggerated sigh.  _"Darn, I knew we forgot something..."  
  
"Don't pay her any mind,"_ Era said with a roll of her eyes as she came in with another bag.  _"I've got both of them here. We also purchased a Sleeping Draught. Figured it might come in handy."_  
  
 _"Come in handy for what?"_  Patton tilted his head.  
  
 _"Have you ever felt SkeleGro in action? It's not the most pleasant feeling in the world. It should only be his toes so it shouldn't be too bad, but...I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy,"_  Astrit shuddered.  
  
Well, Virgil didn't need to be told twice. Anything to make the experience a little less painful for Logan.  _Thanks for thinking ahead Era,_  Virgil scribbled and showed to Era.  
  
 _"Hey, what about me?"_  Chelsea blurted out as she looked over her girlfriend's shoulders at what Virgil wrote to her.  
  
 _You didn't even remember the supplies,_ Virgil wrote as he stared at Chelsea, arching his eyebrow ever so slightly in her direction.  
  
Chelsea let out a groan.  _"It was a joke! Can't you guys take a joke?"  
  
Can't you? _Virgil jotted out, though this time it was accompanied by a smirk.  
  
Chelsea grumbled under her breath, and Patton set to work with the potions. Virgil could finally allow himself to breath normally. Logan was getting patched up. Everything would be  _fine_.  
  
...for the time being, at least.  
  
He would take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo this felt like a good place to end this installment. But fear not, as I've already started work on the first chapter of the next installment and hope to post it tomorrow! Hope to see you guys then. <3 As always, thanks for reading, liking, and/or commenting! =)


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